Iran Blames Israel for Attacks on Gas Pipelines
Regional Map highlighting Israel and Iran (Creative Commons)
By Zoe Niazi
Iran officially stated on February 21 that Israel was behind the two bombings of Iranian gas pipelines in the Chararmahal and Bakhtiari province and the Fars province. Iran deems these explosions as acts of terrorism, wrote Al Jazeera.
This bombing occurred earlier in February amidst the worsening tensions between Iran and Israel in light of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, according to the New York Times. Iran does not officially recognize Israel as a state, Al Arabiya News reports. Since Israel declared war on Hamas, tensions in the Middle East have risen, leading to spillover effects in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon have declared their support for Palestine and have targeted U.S. and Israeli interests in the region. The New York Times writes that Iran denies any responsibility for attacks on American or Israeli targets.
Initially, Iran did not announce that Israel was the culprit, but on February 21 they changed their tune. According to Al Jazeera, Javad Owji, the Oil Minister of Iran, stated that “the explosion of the country’s gas lines was the work of Israel. The plot was foiled.”
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the bombings; however, Al Jazeera states “it [Israel] rarely claims its espionage missions abroad.” The attack on the gas pipelines did not cause any fatalities but damaged supplies in the northeast of North Khorasan, the west of Lorestan, and the northwest of Zanjan. Energy experts estimated that 15 percent of Iran’s daily natural gas production was disrupted by this bombing. This attack impacted millions of Iranians’ access to heat and gas. According to the New York Times, Owji stated that “the enemy’s plan was to completely disrupt the flow of gas in winter to several main cities and provinces in our country.”
The regional spillover from the Israel-Palestine War has led to severe instability in the Middle East. Al Arabiya News reports that the United States and Israel have both accused Iran of supporting military groups that have been attacking Israeli and American targets throughout the Middle East. The rising tensions between Iran and Israel should not be taken lightly in the current geopolitical context.