The surge in regional tensions as a result of the stand-off between the United States and Iran has proved bad timing for US oil major ExxonMobil, which decided to evacuate 60 of its staff from the West Qurna field in the south of Iraq, amid fears of Iranian-backed militia assaults. The pullout came as Exxon was in talks with Baghdad over a potential $53bn investment the country’s southern oil fields.
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