-
ExxonMobil evacuates foreign staff from Iraqi oilfield
The US oil company ExxonMobil has reportedly evacuated all of its foreign staff from an oilfield west of Basra, in Iraq, and is flying them to Dubai. The move came after the US pulled non-emergency staff from its embassy in the capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday out of apparent concern over perceived threats from neighbouring Iran, to which Iraqi Shia militias are allied. Increasing tensions between Washington and Tehran have heightened fears in the region about a potential conflict. Citing a senior Iraqi official and three other sources, the Reuters news agency said ExxonMobil staff had been evacuated from the West ... (full story)