Iraqi oil minister stable after surgery in US, official says

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani is in stable condition after receiving emergency heart surgery during an official visit to the United States, an oil ministry official who is part of the Iraqi delegation said on Saturday.

Abdel-Ghani arrived in the U.S. earlier this week on a trip aimed at courting U.S. companies to invest in Iraq’s energy sector.

The oil ministry official told Reuters he fell ill and was rushed to hospital during the trip and underwent heart catheterization surgery.

"He’s out from the operating theatre and is in a stable condition," the official said.

Abdel-Ghani and other oil ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Writing Timour Azhari, Editing by Louise Heavens)