Last I checked, Chevron was still a US company and hence subject to US laws. But surprise, surprise: Chevron has little regard for the law when there’s money to be made.
Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki says that Chevron attempted to negotiate an oil drilling contract with Iran despite strict US sanctions, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and reported on by the Guardian:
The leaked cable from the US embassy in Baghdad provides intriguing details of a discussion between Maliki and the then US charge d’affaires in Iraq, Patricia Butenis, on 19 March last year.
Butenis says: “With regard to hydrocarbons, the PM asked for the US position on direct contracts with US firms and on US firms developing cross-border fields on the Iran border.”
She adds: “The PM said he is currently in negotiations with Chevron to develop various oilfields to include a cross-border oilfield with Iran (NFI).
The PM claimed that Chevron had told him that it had already raised the issue of a cross-border development with Tehran as well. (Note: We have no independent confirmation of this; end note.)”
Disregard for the law? Part of a day’s work for Chevron, I guess. This really isn’t all that shocking, I suppose, considering Chevron is a company that has operated in Ecuador as if it’s above even the universal law of respect for life.