Sabotage halts Iran gas shipments to Turkey

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

AA file photo

An explosion targeting a pipeline in eastern Turkey has cut off Iranian natural gas shipments to the country, Anatolia news agency reported today citing sources from the energy ministry.

The blast occured at 2300 GMT yesterday in an area between villages of Hıdırlı and Kalender in the eastern province of Ağrı, said Anatolia.

The gas shipments were halted after the blast but the pipeline is expected to be back in operation within four to five days after maintenance, it added.
 
Turkey receives 27 million cubic meters of gas a day via the Iranian pipeline.
 
Officials did not identify any perpetrators but the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was seen as the main suspect.
 
The PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.