Iran: Explosions on gas pipelines | tagesschau.de

Iranian state media reports explosions on gas pipelines in various provinces. Officials speak of terrorist attacks. However, the country’s gas supply is not in danger.

There were explosions on several gas pipelines in Iran during the night. The incidents occurred in the interior and south, state media reported.

According to officials, there are initial indications of sabotage in the southern province of Fars. There was also an explosion on an important gas pipeline in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, about 400 kilometers south of the capital Tehran, the state news agency Irna reported. The flames could therefore be seen for several kilometers. In both cases the fires are under control.

Network chief speaks of a terrorist attack

The head of the Center for the National Gas Pipeline Network, Said Aghli, described the incidents as a terrorist attack in an interview with state television. The explosions occurred around 1 a.m.

That night, Oil Minister Javad Oji called an emergency meeting with the security services. The minister assured that the pipelines would be repaired by the end of the day. “Fortunately, the goals that the enemy was pursuing, a gas cutoff for the country’s major provinces, did not materialize,” Odzhi told reporters.

There are repeated acts of sabotage in the Islamic Republic. It was only in December that hackers attacked the nationwide payment system at gas stations. Iran’s nuclear program has also been the target of sabotage in the past.