American oil giant ConocoPhillips has been urging US President Donald Trump’s administration to provide extra protection around assets in Qatar, where the company has invested significantly, AFP reports quoting its chief executive officer (CEO).

CEO Ryan Lance’s comments were made at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, where he said, “We’re obviously a big investor in Qatar, so a lot of my conversations with the administration is really pleading to try to get extra protection around the US-owned assets in Qatar.”

“As they protect naval and air force bases and our servicemen and embassies and US citizens, putting US assets on that list to protect there in Qatar is very important,” he added.

Lance also said that his company had to evacuate a number of staff over the last few weeks, adding that the situation has been difficult to assess.