Chevron pulling workers from Iraq
Chevron said Monday it will pull its employees out of Iraq temporarily amid an escalation in tensions following the United States’ targeted killing of one of Iran’s top generals.
Chevron said it was evacuating its workers and contractors from the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq after the State Department urged Americans to flee Iraq because of safety concerns from Iran-backed militias and the potential targeting of Americans in the area.
“The safety of our people and facilities is Chevron’s top priority globally,” a Chevron spokeswoman said. “As a precautionary measure, Chevron’s expatriate employees and contractors have left the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the time being.”
Chevron still has local staff overseeing its operations. Its evacuated expatriate workforce will continue to work remotely overseas, the California energy major said.
Chevron would not say how many people it is evacuating.
Other U.S. energy companies that are working in Iraq said they are preparing for height
ened risks but declined to comment on their plans, including possible evacuations of their American workers.
Exxon Mobil, which mostly operates in southern Iraq, reiterated that its Iraqi production is continuing unabated, declining
additional comment beyond a prepared statement.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” spokesman Todd Spitler said. “Exxon Mobil has programs and measures in place to provide security to protect its people, operations and facilities.”
The European energy majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell and top oil field services
firms Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford — all of whom operate in Iraq — declined comment or did not respond to requests for comment.
The Houston engineering and construction firm KBR, which once was part of Halliburton, said it is monitoring the situation.
“KBR is continuing to provide mission critical support to the U.S. military in the Middle East as we have successfully done for more than two decades,” the company said on Friday. “Our personnel are safe and accounted for and are operating under military security protocols.”