Blast shuts 4,000 bpd Iran pipeline, sabotage or technical fault possible causes

An oil pipeline in western Iran exploded in the early hours of Friday, shutting flows of up to 4,000 barrels per day, the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted an official as saying, without giving the cause of the blast.

The explosion occurred at 1:30 am local time (2100 GMT) in Khuzestan province, said Hormoz Qalavand, executive director of the National Iranian South Oil Company.

Mehr had previously reported the blast had happened in neighboring Lorestan province.

“So far it is not clear if the incident happened due to technical problems or a terrorist act,” he said.

Qalavand said crude flows to the oil city of Ahvaz had been halted. The pipeline had the capacity to transfer up to 4,000 barrels per day, he said. The fire, which had spread for 300 meters with flames 40 meters high, had been extinguished, Mehr reported.

Pipeline blasts are not uncommon in Iran and are often attributed to sabotage. Last Friday an explosion halted gas exports to Turkey, something authorities blamed on Kurdish rebels.

Iran is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and sits on the world’s second largest natural gas reserves. The economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues.