Iraq says ExxonMobil to resume operations in Basra

By Amer al-Hassani

BAGHDAD (AA) – U.S. oil company ExxonMobil will resume operations in Iraq’s southern Basra province on Sunday, the government-owned Basra Oil Company said Saturday.

The move comes less than a month after the energy giant evacuated around 30 employees from Basra to Dubai in a move described as a “precautionary measure”.

“ExxonMobil will return to its offices in Basra as of Sunday, June 2,” the company said in a statement.

Last month, Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban said Baghdad has reassured all foreign companies that the country’s oilfields were safe.

Washington has warned of possible threats to its interests in Iraq by Iranian proxies and Shia armed groups.

The warning came amid heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran since 2017, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from a landmark nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of nations (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).

Since then, the Trump administration has also re-imposed sanctions on Iran’s banking and energy sectors, while Iran has threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz to U.S. oil shipments.

Last month, the U.S. sent a carrier strike group to the Middle East, citing a "credible threat" from Tehran.
* Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg