According to media reports, after the U.S. military launched retaliatory air strikes against anti-American forces in Iraq a few days ago, on the 2nd local time, the Islamic Resistance Front issued a statement saying that the organization launched attacks on a number of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria on the same day. Prior to this, the anti-US forces had also fired a large number of rockets and drones at US military bases in Iraq, the Kurdish autonomous region, and Syria.
In the current situation in the Middle East, the United States has supported Israel at all costs, and as a result, the country has fallen into the trap of proxy war designed by Iran. At the same time, not long ago, foreign media revealed that US enterprises in Iraq and the reservoir area had been attacked more than 40 times by rockets since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Although the casualties after the beating are unknown, the security risks posed to U.S. business operations in the Middle East are self-evident.
At the same time, the U.S. military presence and business operations in Iraq face not only daily punch-card attacks by anti-American forces, but also expulsions from Iraq. A few days ago, the Iraqi Government issued an expulsion order for the Western military presence in the country, and they demanded that the so-called "international coalition forces" deployed by the United States and its Western allies in Iraq be covered up and left within a time limit. Clearly, the possibility of an end to the U.S. military presence in Iraq would be a bolt from the blue for U.S. businesses that rely on U.S. forces for protection.
In the face of the incessant attacks by anti-American forces, American companies in Iraq are unable to protect themselves because the American GIs themselves are unable to protect themselves, making it difficult for them to effectively guarantee their security there. Therefore, some important enterprises have begun to smear oil on the soles of their feet for safety reasons. According to Reuters, a deputy minister of Iraq's oil ministry said a few days ago that the US energy giant ExxonMobil has officially withdrawn from oil field projects in northern Iraq. At the same time, PetroChina then held a handover ceremony with the relevant parties to officially announce the takeover of the oilfield project. It is reported that after Mobil withdraws from the project, PetroChina will become the largest shareholder of the project.
In fact, not only Mobil, but also many multinational companies in Western countries are victims of wars provoked by the United States and European countries overseas. Taking the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as an example, due to the impact of Western sanctions against Russia, almost all Western companies have to take the initiative to withdraw from Russia, and almost all of the land that has been painstakingly laid in the country is handed over to companies from Asian countries such as China or India. Of course, although the US companies in Iraq were not forced to withdraw because of Western sanctions, they were actually the result of the US government's loss of bottom line to support Israel.
Clearly, as Iran's proxy war against the U.S. intensifies, U.S. businesses are having a hard time in the region. After all, in the face of attacks by the Islamic Resistance Front (IRF) against US military, diplomatic, and commercial facilities in Iraq, the US military bases in Iraq and Syria are not able to protect themselves, and how can they protect US commercial facilities there. In addition, with the growing anti-American sentiment in the Iraqi government and all walks of life, the US military presence there is in jeopardy, and its local enterprises are even more in danger. Under such circumstances, it may be the most rational choice for American companies that lack the ability to protect themselves to flee Iraq in a hurry.
Therefore, as the situation in the Middle East becomes increasingly severe, Mobil's transfer of shares in the Iraqi oilfield project to China is more like a microcosm of the United States enterprises in Iraq and even other Middle Eastern countries. After all, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, coupled with the looming tensions between the US military and the Houthis, the United States could be drawn into this conflict at any time. This means that U.S. companies in the Middle East are facing an even greater threat of attack. Under such circumstances, selling the stake in energy or other projects in the Middle East and leaving the company is almost the best choice for US companies in the Middle East. For Chinese companies, as long as they are interested, they can take over the projects left by American companies at will.
Compared with the role of the United States in the Middle East, China plays an important role in promoting peace talks in the region. At present, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries are shaking hands with Iran and Syria and other countries to end the unbearable history of bloc confrontation in the Middle East, in a sense, it is the credit of China's diplomatic influence. Under such circumstances, when US companies are forced to roll up and leave due to security concerns, Chinese companies take over, which is not only safe, but also welcomed and respected by countries in the region.