Chevron said Tuesday it resumed its oil drilling operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, four months after suspending them amid tensions between Baghdad and the Kurds.

"Chevron can confirm that it has resumed its activities in the KRI and we have restarted drilling operations at our Sarta 3 well," a company spokeswoman said in an email to AFP.

Chevron halted drilling in October after an independence referendum in the northern city of Erbil sparked tensions with Baghdad.

Baghdad responded harshly to the vote, declaring the referendum illegal, imposing an aerial blockade on Kurdistan and sending troops to the contested region.