Iran's Main Gas Pipeline Hit by Sabotage

Footage broadcast on Iranian state television of a gas pipeline explosion in Borogen
Footage broadcast on Iranian state television of a gas pipeline explosion in Borogen
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Iran's Main Gas Pipeline Hit by Sabotage

Footage broadcast on Iranian state television of a gas pipeline explosion in Borogen
Footage broadcast on Iranian state television of a gas pipeline explosion in Borogen

Iran announced that two explosions along its leading south-north gas pipeline network on Wednesday were caused by sabotage the Iranian oil minister Javad Owji revealed.

Owji told reporters that the "terrorist act of sabotage occurred at 1 a.m. on Wednesday in the network of national gas transmission pipelines in two regions of the country."

"We anticipated such acts of sabotage around the anniversary of the Iranian revolution (February 11) and quickly changed the configuration of the transmission network to counter the enemy's objective to cause gas outages in major provinces," he added.

Video clips circulated on social media showing the extent of the bombings in the Fars provinces in the south of the country.

Local media said that one of the bombings occurred in Boroujen, Charmahal, and Bakhtiari in the center of the country.

The city's fire chief said that there were no casualties.

Official media reported that the accident caused gas outages to industrial and administrative facilities and dozens of villages in at least four governorates, but officials denied the reports.

Later, reports stated that the authorities issued orders to reduce gas supplies to government departments in several provinces and factories in Isfahan and Zanjan.

Reuters cited state media saying temporary restrictions had been planned for maintenance.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. The country is witnessing low temperatures, with snow and rain falling in most of the 31 Iranian provinces.

In December, Iran executed five people it accused of having links to the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad) in a decades-long hidden war that saw Tehran accuse Israel of launching attacks on its nuclear and missile programs.

Lawmaker Ruhollah Izadkhah told the government ISNA agency that enemies cannot harm the country with "firecrackers."

The MP asserted that the country's economic infrastructure is robust, and the explosions will not affect the country.

Izadkhah described the gas pipeline explosion in Fars Province as "the revenge of the US and the Zionist entity" against the sizeable popular participation in the revolution anniversary march.

A day before the attack, a hacking group affiliated with the Iranian opposition Mojehadin-e-Khlaq Organization (MKO) seized documents and data from the Iranian parliament after hacking the servers of the official website.

Khane Mellat (ICANA.ir) news agency websites were also inaccessible and subject to a cyberattack.

One of the "top secret" and "urgent" documents reveals a warning letter sent from the Supreme National Security Council to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei regarding an "emergency package to secure energy during the four cold months."

The document indicates the authorities' fears of protests erupting due to the gas shortage, citing an imbalance between energy production and consumption, especially gas during the cold months.

According to the letter, Iran faces a daily shortage of 300 million cubic meters due to the imbalance between oil and gas.

It warned that if decisions are not taken, the country's energy security will be at risk, leading to the outbreak of social and security crises in the event of electricity and gas cuts."

Accordingly, the Supreme National Security Council recommended in its letter a detailed package to manage the crisis of providing sustainable energy sources during the cold period to prevent and eliminate the threats and prevent the outbreak of social, security, and economic crises.

The Council called for the Public Prosecution to take measures to lift the ban on diesel consumption to prevent any social and security crises.

It demands that the Public Prosecution coordinate with the Ministry of Intelligence and its parallel agency in the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence to issue its directives to its centers nationwide.

The authorities did not comment on the publication of this document.



Israel's Netanyahu Ends Hungary Visit, Heads to US

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after he took over the certificate of Honorary Citizen of the University (Civis Universitatis Honoris Causa) from Rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service at the university in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after he took over the certificate of Honorary Citizen of the University (Civis Universitatis Honoris Causa) from Rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service at the university in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP)
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Israel's Netanyahu Ends Hungary Visit, Heads to US

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after he took over the certificate of Honorary Citizen of the University (Civis Universitatis Honoris Causa) from Rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service at the university in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after he took over the certificate of Honorary Citizen of the University (Civis Universitatis Honoris Causa) from Rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service at the university in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Budapest on Sunday to head to the US to talk tariffs and Iran with President Donald Trump after wrapping up a multi-day-visit to Hungary.

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his long-standing Israeli ally in Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

Netanyahu's visit came as Hungary announced its withdrawal from the tribunal.

"I have just concluded a very important visit to Hungary," Netanyahu said in a statement adding that cooperation in the production of munitions among other issues was discussed.

Netanyahu is headed straight to the United States, where he is set to discuss tariffs, Iran and the ICC, among other thorny issues with US President Donald Trump on Monday.

The Israeli leader arrived in the Hungarian capital early on Thursday.

Both Orban and Netanyahu slammed the ICC at a joint press conference, with the Israeli premier expressing hope that Hungary "would not be the last state" to exit the "corrupt organization".

The ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including starvation as a method of warfare -- in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The war was sparked by the Palestinian group's attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Orban defended the government's decision not to execute the ICC warrant against Netanyahu in his weekly radio interview, saying that it is "not customary to arrest guests" in Hungary and there was no will to do so since Israel is regarded as a "friend".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the decision, calling it a "bad day" for international criminal law.

But Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he didn't think his country or any other European state would have arrested the Israeli leader. The visit to Hungary marked Netanyahu's first trip to Europe since 2023.

During his four-day visit, Netanyahu met Jewish community leaders, visited a Holocaust memorial on the bank of the Danube river and was awarded an honorary degree from a university.

Hungarian police said Saturday it had detained two Frenchmen on suspicion of hooliganism and vandalism after they allegedly tore down and damaged Israeli flags at the Szechenyi chain bridge.

Netanyahu and Orban also had a call with Trump about Hungary's decision to exit the ICC.

Israel had attempted to duck the US tariffs imposed on nearly every country by moving preemptively Tuesday -- a day before Trump's big global tariff announcement -- to drop all remaining duties on the one percent of American goods still affected by them.

But Trump moved ahead with the tariffs, saying the United States had a significant trade deficit with its ally and top beneficiary of military aid.