Chevron, Exxon Mobil evacuate people from Iraq, U.S. denies army pullout, Iran ends nuclear deal
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Topics: CHEVRON EXXON IRAQ U.S. IRAN NUCLEAR
Chevron said in a statement it was taking precautionary action in the wake of the targeted killing of General Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force of the Islamic Republican Guards Corps and was responsible for spreading Iran’s influence in the region.
Iran has promised it would avenge the action and traded threats with the U.S. Monday as other countries urged deescalation.
The move by Chevron follows similar action from Exxon Mobil (XOM), which withdrew its foreign staff from the West Qurna 1 oilfield in southern Iraq Saturday over the objections of Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban.
U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper has denied U.S. troops are pulling out of Iraq, after a letter from a US general there suggested a withdrawal.
The letter said the U.S. would be "repositioning forces in the coming days and weeks" after Iraqi MPs had called for them to leave.
Esper said there had been "no decision whatsoever to leave".
Iran announced its intention to no longer abide by the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a deal signed between Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US in 2015, whereby Iran pledged to limit its nuclear activities, particularly its uranium enrichment activities, in exchange for the UN, US and EU allowing Iran to regain control over its assets that had been frozen overseas and to start selling oil on the international market again. ■