Reuters reported that the gas flow on a pipeline carrying Iranian natural gas to Turkey resumed almost a week after it was halted by an explosion in eastern Turkey.

Mr Taner Yildiz energy minister of Turkey said that "The Turkey to Iran natural gas pipeline just started to pump this morning. Turkey is currently getting natural gas from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan and we did not have any supply problems."

Turkish energy officials said that the blast last Monday occurred in the area of Dogubayazit, a town in Agri province near the Iranian border. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party has claimed responsibility for repeated attacks on pipelines in Turkey in its 28 year old armed campaign against the Turkish state which has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

Flows have also been halted several times on the Kirkuk Ceyhan pipeline carrying crude oil from Iraq to Turkey in recent months due to suspected sabotage blamed on the PKK, deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Source - Reuters

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