The US supermajor handed back its working interests in the Qara Hanjeer, East Arbat and Betwata blocks, a spokeswoman confirmed to Upstream.

ExxonMobil continues to operate three blocks in Kurdistan, including Pirmam block in Erbil and the Al-Qush concession in Ninewa province, where it had been targeting exploration work last year.

The spokeswoman said Exxon­Mobil’s “exploration operations continue in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, consistent with contractual obligations.”