Iran's oil minister claimed on Wednesday that a series of explosions on an Iranian natural gas pipeline was caused by an Israeli sabotage attack, further escalating tensions between the regional enemies amid Israel's war on Gaza.
The comments by Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owji follow accusations blaming Israel for a series of attacks targeting Tehran's nuclear program.
The "explosion of the gas pipeline was an Israeli plot," Owji said, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
"The enemy intended to disturb gas service in the provinces and put people's gas distribution at risk."
He added, "The evil action and plot by the enemy was properly managed."
Owji provided no evidence to support his claims.
The Associated Press reported the blasts on Feb. 14 hit a natural gas pipeline running from Iran's western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province up north to cities on the Caspian Sea. The roughly 1,270-kilometer (790-mile) pipeline begins in Asaluyeh, a hub for Iran's offshore South Pars gas field.
This Is Not The First:
Owji had previously compared the attack to several mysterious and unclaimed assaults on gas pipelines in 2011, which happened to coincide with the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tehran also marked the 45th anniversary of the revolution just days before the pipeline blasts.
According to the AP, Israel has carried out attacks on Iran that have mainly targeted its nuclear program. Last week, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog warned that Iran is "not entirely transparent" regarding its atomic program, particularly after an official who once led Tehran's program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon "in our hands."
Groups that Tehran is allegedly arming in the region, such as Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels, continue to launch attacks targeting Israel over their war in Gaza. Iran's nuclear program has only added to the rising concern as the Houthis prolong their strikes on commercial shipping in the region despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes.
Al Jazeera reported no casualties from the attack on the pipeline.
However, an Israeli airstrike hit a neighborhood in Syria's capital, Damascus, on Wednesday. Israel has struck Syria several times as it allegedly believes members of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard are hiding there.
State media reported supplies had been disrupted in the provinces of North Khorasan in the northeast, Lorestan in the west, and Zanjan in the northwest.
