Iran’s gas flow to Turkey halted after pipeline blast – official

Gas flow from Iran to Turkey has been halted after a huge explosion rocked a pipeline in eastern Turkey, an Iranian official told Tasnim news agency, as cited by Reuters.

“Iran’s gas flow to Turkey has temporarily stopped because of a blast by some opposition groups inside Turkey around 1830 GMT on Thursday night,” Majid Aghai, an official from the Iranian Interior Ministry, said.

Earlier reports in the Turkish media emerged, saying that a huge blast hit a pipeline in the town of Dogubayazit in Agrı Province in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran. Following the explosion, a fire broke out on the pipeline, TGRT Haber newspaper said, adding that the flames reached up to 50 meters.

No property has been damaged, Turkish media reports, adding that there have not been reports of any deaths or injuries so far.

The authorities have reportedly launched an investigation into the incident. According to the Turkish Cumhuriyet newspaper, possible causes of the blast include sabotage. Some Turkish media said, citing sources, that militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were behind the incident.