ExxonMobil ‘committed’ to worker safety following rocket strike in Iraq
American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil said on Wednesday it is focused on the safety of its workers after a rocket struck a facility housing company workers in Iraq.
“ExxonMobil has programs and measures in place to provide security to protect its people, operations and facilities,” a spokesperson for the company told FOX Business. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and contractors at all of our facilities around the world.”
An Iraqi intelligence official said 40 workers were evacuated from an oil-drilling site following the rocket attack, according to The Associated Press. The ExxonMobil spokesperson said it was company practice not to comment on staffing at its facilities.
A rocket struck the facility – located in Iraq’s Basra province – on Wednesday, where Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Eni SpA also have operations.
Similar attacks have occurred throughout recent weeks on military bases where the U.S. has personnel.
Exxon had previously evacuated staff last month following unspecified threats from Iran, but those workers had begun returning to Iraq, as reported by Reuters.
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The rocket strikes come as tensions mount between the U.S. and Iran. Iran has threatened to enrich uranium above levels allowed under the nuclear accord, after the U.S. reimposed crippling sanctions on the country’s oil industry. Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal last year.
Meanwhile, Israel finished its largest military drill in years on Wednesday. The U.S. has also blamed Iran for strikes on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz last month.