The New York Times reported on Friday that Israel is behind multiple recent explosions affecting Iranian gas pipelines, citing sources including two Western officials and a military strategist associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran’s oil minister, Javad Owji, addressed the reported attacks, describing them as sabotage and terrorist acts aimed at disrupting gas flow during the winter season.

“The enemy’s plan was to completely disrupt the flow of gas in winter to several main cities and provinces in our country,” he said.

Despite the disruption caused by the attacks, Owji downplayed their impact. However, reports from Iranian governors and officials at the state gas company indicate widespread outages across five provinces due to the attacks, leading to the closure of government buildings.

The targeted natural gas pipeline originates in Iran’s western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, extending north to cities on the Caspian Sea. Measuring approximately 790 miles, the pipeline starts in Asaluyeh, a crucial hub for Iran’s offshore South Pars gas field.

Notably, the targeted province lacks known insurgent groups that have taken responsibility for other similar attacks and is primarily inhabited by the Bakhtiari, a branch of Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

The Times also said Israel was involved in a separate incident on Thursday involving an explosion at a chemical factory on the outskirts of Tehran. Local officials initially attributed the blast to an accident in the factory’s fuel tank.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)