Unidentified assailants set fire to Iran oil well

TEHRAN, Iran - Unidentified assailants set fire to an oil well in Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan on Tuesday, an oil company official said, adding that it had been brought under control.

"One of the wells in the Shadegan field was set on fire by unidentified people this morning," the head of the state-owned Marun Oil and Gas Production Company, Ghobad Nasseri, told state television.

"The fire was immediately brought under control," Nasseri said, adding that the damage was still being assessed.
The Shadegan field has a capacity of 110,000 barrels of crude per day, the television said.

Khuzestan province, on the border with Iraq, contains most of Iran's onshore oil reserves.

Earlier this month, Iran reported an accidental explosion at the oil refinery in the province's third largest city Abadan, which caused damage but no casualties.

Industrial accidents are common in Iran, with some blaming US sanctions, which severely limit its ability to import spare parts for maintenance.

Others point the finger at Israeli sabotage. Iranian officials blamed a cyber attack, which halted fuel distribution stations nationwide last year, on both Israel and the United States.

Iran boasts the world's second largest proven gas reserves and its fourth largest oil reserves but exports have been heavily reduced by US sanctions.

Talks on restoring a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, including with the United States, had raised hopes of Iranian oil returning to world markets but diplomats have expressed mounting pessimism in recent weeks.