Basra compound home to US oil firms hit by rocket amid rising tensions

A rocket struck an Iraq compound housing US oil giant ExxonMobil in the early hours of Wednesday morning, injuring three people, amid rising tensions between Iran and the US.

The compound in the southern area of Burjesia is also home to workers from several other global oil companies.

Later on Wednesday a second rocket hit a military headquarters in Mosul where US military advisers were visiting, causing no casualties.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but analysts on the ground suggest the attacks are part of a concerted effort by Iran-backed militias to force out the US presence in Iraq and reinforce Iranian influence in the country.

"It follows a pattern across Iraq since January, suggesting that it may not be rogue groups behind these attacks. With all of the recent oil tanker incidents and now a string of incidents across Iraq… we see a messaging effort to communicate just how bad things could get,” said Robert Tollast, an analyst focused on Iraq.

“It's still possible that back channel diplomacy could get these groups to climb down and there are various ways the US and Iran can communicate.”

Tensions have been steadily rising between Iran and America since Donald Trump, the US president, withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May last year.

Earlier this week, Iran said it would begin enriching uranium beyond the limits of the deal if the European Union could not protect the deal shortly before the US announced it would send an additional 1,000 troops to the region.

It also follows an attack on a Japanese tanker in the vital Strait of Hormuz that was blamed on Iran, who denied the attack.

Two rocket strikes in the past two days have hit bases housing US troops in Iraq. There are currently more than 5,000 US troops in the country.

ExxonMobil was preparing to evacuate 20 foreign staff in response to the attack, according to a security source.

The US energy giant evacuated all 60 of its foreign staff from Basra’s West Qurna 1 oil field in May after the US evacuated non-essential diplomatic staff from Iraq.

ExxonMobil did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by The Telegraph. Foreign nationals in Iraq are on high alert after a string of attacks in recent weeks.

An alert issued by the German embassy Wednesday morning warned of a threat from Iran-backed militias to kidnap foreign nationals in the Basra area.