A fire broke out after a mysterious blast at a pipeline, supplying natural gas from Iran to Turkey, early Tuesday.
Local authorities said the blast hit a section of a pipeline near the Gürbulak Border Crossing in the eastern province of Ağrı. The explosion sent a huge plume of flames. The gas supply was cut off and firefighters put out the fire.
Security forces have launched an investigation.
The blast temporarily stopped Irani gas exports, Mehdi Jamshidi Dana, director of National Iranian Gas Company told IRNA news agency.
Iranian state TV reported that a "terrorist" attack on the Turkish side halted flow in the pipeline. The pipeline, which carries around 10 billion cubic meters of gas annually, has previously suffered from attacks by the PKK active in the region.
