Oil pipeline blown up in east Turkey

The potential sabotage explosion on the Turkey-Iran gas pipeline about 15km inside the Turkish border, however, did not result in casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but Turkish media pointed the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

According to a statement released by the Turkish Energy Ministry, Yildiz said the suspected sabotage bombing took place 18 kilometers inside the Cizre district of Sirnak province, next to the border with Iraq, Anadolu agency reports.

Gas flow to Turkey from Iran is likely to resume on Sunday, an official from the state pipeline operator Botas said.

“Iran is waiting for the Turkish administration’s explanations about the cause of this explosion and suspends its gas export to Turkey via this pipeline by then”.

An Iranian official said Iran’s natural gas exports to Turkey would resume in three days, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.

Turkey buys around a quarter of its 40 billion cubic metres of piped natural gas imports from Iran, making its eastern neighbour its second-biggest supplier after Russian Federation. On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also vowed to increase the military operations against the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey and the U.S.

“We have taken measures to meet the natural gas demand in the area”. Gunmen shot dead a paramilitary police commander late on Monday in a predominantly Kurdish part of eastern Turkey.