Turkey’s supply of Iranian gas has been halted following an explosion at the Iran to Turkey export pipeline on Thursday.
The Turkish Energy Ministry confirmed on Friday that the pipeline, which runs from the major Iranian industrial city of Tabriz to the Turkish capital Ankara, has been taken off-line, but repairs are already under way and due to be completed in a week, according to a Reuters report.
Turkey imports 11 billion cubic meters of gas per year via the pipeline, and is importing increased volumes of Russian and Azerbaijani gas while repairs are being carried out.
Late last month, gas exports from Iran to Turkey were briefly halted due to a blast. The pipeline was swiftly repaired and gas flows were resumed a day later.
The pipeline has come under repeated attack from the PKK, a Kurdish separatist militia. According to a report from the Kurdish AK News Service, the PKK claimed responsibility for this latest attack on Friday
PKK’s military leader of the HPG – People’s Defense Force (a PKK wing) – Dozdar Hamo told AKnews that “HPG guerrillas blew up the oil pipeline between Iran and Turkey to cause economic harm to the two countries that are enemies of the Kurds.”
Hamo also said that the HPG fighters had also attacked the security company that was protecting the pipeline. “A number of the vehicles of the company were burnt down.”
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