Exxon and Chevron Executives Cancel Abu Dhabi ADIPEC Trips Over Security Concerns, Sources Say

ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods and Chevron upstream president Clay Neff will no longer travel to next week's ADIPEC conference in Abu Dhabi, two sources told Reuters, as fears of fresh US strikes on Iran and retaliation grip the Gulf. Both firms declined to comment; organiser DMG said the show was still heading for record participation from more than 170 countries.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk29 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron have cancelled plans for their senior executives to travel to Abu Dhabi next week for ADIPEC, the United Arab Emirates' biggest oil show, citing security concerns, two sources familiar with the developments told Reuters on Thursday.

Exxon chief executive Darren Woods had been due to attend the conference, while Chevron had been due to be represented by its upstream president Clay Neff, the sources said. Both companies declined to comment, Reuters reported. ADNOC, the UAE's state energy firm, deferred comment to event organiser DMG.

DMG said US participation remained very strong, with more than 120 exhibiting companies — the second-largest country representation after China — and that ADIPEC was set for record exhibition participation, with attendees expected from more than 170 countries. A list of confirmed US industry speakers provided by DMG did not include Exxon or Chevron, while BP chief executive Meg O'Neill and Equinor chief executive Anders Opedal remained on the online programme, according to Reuters.

The cancellations come amid fears of fresh US attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes by Tehran, which have gripped oil markets in recent days. US President Donald Trump has said he would not launch an attack on Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3, but has also said the US may carry out another military operation against Iran, Reuters reported.

There have been no attacks targeting the UAE by Iran since May, Reuters noted. The US State Department last week ordered some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia, which has faced near-daily attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis this month, and US officials have told Reuters Washington also plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region.

OilPrice.com, reporting the same Reuters exclusive, noted ADIPEC is the latest major Gulf energy gathering to be disrupted: Saudi Arabia has already postponed its annual Future Investment Initiative until 2027 after attacks disrupted air travel, and several major oil executives disappeared from the speaker lineup of the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh earlier this month. For the lakhs of Indian and Punjabi workers who live and work across the Gulf, the executives' decision is another sign of how directly the Iran war is now affecting travel, work and safety in the region.