In a recent development that has escalated tensions in the Middle East, the Iranian Oil Minister has pointed fingers at Israel, accusing it of orchestrating an attack on the country’s gas pipeline network.
According to reports from the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, as cited by Reuters, Oil Minister Javad Owji held Israel accountable for what he described as a “conspiracy” against Iran’s vital gas conduits.
The allegations come in the wake of a report by The New York Times, which suggested that Israel had covertly executed strikes on two principal natural gas pipelines within Iran last week. T
hese attacks reportedly disrupted the flow of cooking and heating gas to several provinces, affecting millions of residents across the country.
Information for The New York Times report was gathered from Western officials and a military strategist affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Media outlets in Iran had previously reported explosions resulting from attacks around 1 a.m. local time last Wednesday, causing panic among citizens who fled their homes in fear.
Social media platforms were abuzz with residents claiming that the blasts had jolted them awake, with many believing a bomb had been dropped. Despite the widespread alarm, there have been no reported casualties.
The targeted assaults hit multiple points along two main gas pipelines in the Fars and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces. The disruption extended beyond the immediate areas, affecting residential homes, government buildings, and major factories across at least five Iranian provinces.
The targeted pipelines are crucial for transporting gas from the south to major cities, including Tehran and Isfahan, with one extending as far as Astara, a city near the northern border with Azerbaijan.
This incident marks a significant escalation in the covert operations that have frequently punctuated the region’s geopolitical landscape, underscoring the fragile state of energy security in the Middle East.
