Thousands of foreign oil workers have been evacuated from Iraq’s Basra fields amid escalating Iran-Israel tensions.
Thousands of foreign employees working for international oil companies in Iraq’s southern Basra province have been evacuated amid rising fears that the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, and the direct involvement of the United States, could soon spill over into Iraq.
At least 4,860 foreign workers have departed from oil facilities in southern Iraq since the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, according to a senior Iraqi oil official quoted by Shafaq News on Monday.
The official linked the departures to the growing instability in the region and the use of Iraqi airspace for Iranian and Israeli missile attacks.
The mass withdrawal includes around 1,700 employees from British Petroleum (BP), 1,000 from France’s TotalEnergies, and 700 from the US-based Schlumberger. Additionally, 560 workers from Italy’s Eni, 500 from Kuwait Energy, and 400 from ExxonMobil have also left their posts.
Security sources told The New Arab‘s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that BP was the first to evacuate its non-Iraqi staff from the Rumaila oil field in Basra, with other companies following suit in recent days.
Some of the companies employ American nationals, and fear that they would become targets in retaliatory attacks by Iranian-aligned armed groups operating in Iraq.
On Monday, the state-run Basra Oil Company confirmed that several foreign firms, including BP, TotalEnergies, and Eni, had “temporarily evacuated some of their foreign personnel” due to the worsening regional security situation.
The company said in a statement that operations at its oil fields remain unaffected.
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Growing concerns over Iraq’s oil sector
Oil expert Haider Al-Battat said the deteriorating security climate would negatively affect Iraq’s oil sector and economy.
“These companies cannot operate under unstable conditions,” he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. He warned that the loss of foreign technical personnel, particularly in gas fields, could severely disrupt operations and inflict long-term damage on Iraq’s economy.
“Among all regional players, Iraq may suffer the most economically from this war,” Al-Battat said. “This is why there’s a strong push within the government to avoid getting drawn into the conflict.”
Iraq’s oil ministry has yet to issue an official statement on the evacuations, though officials are reportedly monitoring the situation closely.
Al-Battat added that Iraqi airspace had effectively become a corridor for missile exchanges between Iran and Israel, further increasing the risk for foreign personnel.
The ongoing threat has prompted concerns that additional companies may soon withdraw staff if the conflict continues to escalate.
Fears of US involvement have also reignited tensions within Iraq. On Friday, Iraqi social media and local media outlets circulated reports claiming that all employees of the US embassy in Baghdad had been evacuated and the embassy had closed.
While TNA was unable to confirm these reports, the rumours had deepened public anxiety over Iraq’s role in the growing regional crisis.
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Since the Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, the Iraqi government has tightened security measures around the US embassy and other American interests.
Authorities have also opened back-channel talks with Iranian-aligned factions to prevent retaliatory attacks within Iraq.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Monday urged energy producers to keep oil prices low amid concerns that the widening conflict could cause a global price spike.
“Everyone, keep oil prices down, I’m watching! You’re playing into the hands of the enemy, don’t do it,” he wrote in all caps on his Truth Social platform.
He followed up with a message to the US Department of Energy, calling on them to “drill, baby, drill” and adding: “I mean now.”
