“The acts of sabotage and terrorism were carried out at around 1:00 am,” targeting natural gas pipelines in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province as well as Fars province in southwestern Iran, National Iranian Gas Company’s Dispatching Director Saeed Aghili told state media.
No casualties were reported in the explosions and the fire has been contained, according to Aghili, who added that the country’s gas transmission network is stable.
“We hope the pipeline will be repaired and will become operational as soon as possible,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Iran typically blames arch-foe Israel for sabotage acts within its borders.
In February 2023, Iran blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military facility belonging to the defense ministry in Isfahan province.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war consisting of long-running covert attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as sabotage and cyber-attacks. Iranian fighters are also frequently targeted in suspected Israeli strikes in Syria.
Tensions between the two countries have surged since October when Tehran voiced support for Palestinian Hamas militants after they launched a large-scale infiltration into Israel from Gaza.
