Iraq Says Exxon Evacuation of Staff Is `Unacceptable'
- Exxon withdrew about 80 workers from oilfield in southern Iraq
- U.S.-Iran tensions rising after attacks on Saudi oil pipeline
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The evacuation of some Exxon Mobil Corp. workers is “unacceptable and unwarranted” because it has nothing to do with the security situation in southern Iraq, according the country’s energy minister.
“This withdrawal may send the wrong message about the situation in Iraq, and that’s something we reject,” Iraq’s Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban said in a statement on Saturday. The minister sent a letter to Exxon officials seeking clarification about the decision and asking that the workers return to Iraq.