ExxonMobil evacuates staff from Iraq oil field due to US-Iran tension
ExxonMobil said Wednesday it is 'closely monitoring' the
situation in Iraq following the US State Department's order for the partial
evacuation of diplomatic staff amid rising tensions between the US and Iraq's
neighbor Iran.
ExxonMobil's West Qurna 1 project is one of three giant oil
fields in Iraq's southern Basra region being developed by foreign oil
companies. BP's Rumaila field and Eni's Zubair project are the other two while
Russia's Lukoil is developing the West Qurna 2 project.
"We are closely monitoring the situation...ExxonMobil
has programs and measures in place to provide security to protect its people,
operations and facilities," a spokeswoman for Exxon said in an emailed
response.
BP is also monitoring the current situation on the ground in
Iraq, an official close to the company said Wednesday. Eni said they are
preparing a response.
Chevron, which is developing an oil project in Iraq's
northern Kurdistan region, said: "We continue monitoring the situation and
we remain in regular contact with the Kurdistan Regional Government. The safety
and security of our personnel is our top priority."
Without giving a reason, the State Department Wednesday
ordered the departure of "non-emergency employees" from its embassy
in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil.
Citing unnamed US officials, CNN reported Wednesday that US
had "specific and credible" intelligence that suggested Iranian
forces and proxies were planning to target US forces in locations including
Iraq." The US last week said it was deploying an aircraft carrier and
other military assets to the region, citing what it claimed were Iran's
"escalatory actions."
US tensions with Iran have been escalating after President
Donald Trump move to reinstate full US sanctions on sales of Iranian oil came
into effect from the start of this month. Tensions escalated further this week
after an attack claimed by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen halted flows
through Saudi Arabia's main oil transport pipeline to the Red Sea.
The drone attack came just days after one of the biggest
attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz transit chokepoint, fueling
concerns over a new wave of coordinated strikes on key oil infrastructure and
transit routes in the Middle East.