(IRNA) - Iran resumed exports of natural gas to Turkey Tuesday morning after evacuating gas from a pipeline damaged by an explosion on September 28, it was reported here Wednesday.
The explosion occurred in a remote mountainous area near the Iranian border town of Bazargan, some 853km northwest of the capital Tehran, disrupting gas exports to Turkey, reports Trend.
Following the explosion, certain problems arose with respect to the quality of the exported gas. Iranian technicians have sucked out the gas from the damaged pipeline and after repairing the damaged portion gas exports to Turkey have resumed.
During the brief period of suspension of exports of Iranian gas, Turkey imported huge amounts from Russia.
The blast damaged the Iran-Turkey gas pipeline two kilometers from the gas transfer station on the Bazargan borderpoint and five kilometers inside Iranian territory.
The English-language paper `Iran Daily', quoting the commander of the West Azarbaijan Police Department, said that elements linked to the terrorist group `Free Life of Kurdistan PJAK' (Iranian wing of the PKK) carried out the bombing.
Ankara blames PKK rebels for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group launched its armed campaign for an independent Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey in 1984.
PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Iran has accused the PJAK of killing dozens of its armed forces in insurgent attacks in areas bordering Turkey, wrote the daily.