Jun 19, 2019

Rocket hits ExxonMobil complex in Basra, Iraq

Rebecca Falconer

An Iraqi oil field near the southern port city of Basra. Photo: Essam Al-Sudani/AFP/Getty Images

A rocket struck the residential and operations headquarters of global oil firms including U.S. giant ExxonMobil near Iraq's southern city of Basra early on Wednesday, wounding three people, Reuters reports, citing the Iraqi military.

Why it matters: There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but it came after 2 separate attacks in as many days on bases housing U.S. military in Iraq, Reuters notes. The U.S. ordered "non-emergency government employees" to leave Iraq in May amid escalating tension with Iran. The Trump administration has just sent an extra 1,000 troops to the Middle East and blames Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 1,014,673 — Total deaths: 52,973 — Total recoveries: 210,335 — Map.
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  6. Business latest: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said oil companies are eligible for aid from new lending programs the Federal Reserve is setting up, but not direct loans from his department.
  7. U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Navy removes captain of aircraft carrier who sounded alarm about coronavirus.
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