Iran says Israel behind gas pipeline sabotage

TEHRAN

Iran said Wednesday that Israel was behind twin sabotage attacks against gas pipelines that disrupted supplies in at least three provinces last week.

The Feb. 14 explosions hit pipelines in the cities of Safashahr in the southern province of Fars and Borujen in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari.

Officials said at the time it was an act of "sabotage and terrorism."

There were no reported casualties but state media said supplies were disrupted in the provinces of North Khorasan in the northeast, Lorestan in the west and Zanjan in the northwest.

"The explosion of the country's gas lines was the work of Israel," Oil Minister Javad Owji told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"The plot was foiled," he added.

Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has made the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy.

The Islamic republic does not recognise Israel and the two countries have engaged in a shadow war for years.

Iran accuses Israel of having carried out a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear programme.

The United States and Israel accuse Iran of supporting militant groups around the Middle East to carry out attacks on US and Israeli targets.