Explosions damage gas pipeline in western Iran; officials say sabotage

Explosions damaged a major gas pipeline overnight in Iran’s western province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. The Iranian semi-official Mehr news agency and the AP reported the incident. Authorities have not yet commented officially on the explosions, but some Iranian officials have described them as sabotage and a terrorist act. The explosions caused gas supply disruptions for industry and businesses in some Iranian provinces, according to Reuters.

According to Reuters, the explosions damaged a key gas pipeline connecting Iran’s southern and northern regions. Further details about the explosions are not yet known. The explosions and subsequent fire caused no casualties, Mehr reported, citing firefighters at the scene.

Saeed Aghli, head of Iran’s gas pipeline network, told Iranian state television that the explosions that damaged the pipeline were “sabotage and a terrorist act”. He also spoke of explosions at two locations overnight. The Ministry of Petroleum convened an emergency meeting, according to DPA.

However, there are no rebel groups active in the area that have carried out similar attacks in the past, AP reported. Arab separatists in southwestern Iran have claimed responsibility for pipeline attacks in the past. Iranian authorities have also blamed some attacks on Israel, Iran’s main rival in the Middle East.

State television said the explosions had no impact on the country’s gas distribution network. However, other Iranian media reported that gas supplies had been interrupted, leaving industrial businesses and offices in several provinces without gas, Reuters reported.

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