Hungary Wants UN To Investigate Nord Stream Pipeline Attack
In the aftermath of a bombshell report alleging that a pivotal set of gas pipelines between Russia and Germany was attacked by the U.S. government last year, Hungarian officials are calling on the United Nations to investigate the matter in greater depth.
Two Nord Stream underwater pipelines were sabotaged in September, resulting in massive explosions and oil leaks while cutting off a significant amount of Germany’s energy supply.
At the time, there was widespread speculation regarding the responsible party, though almost everyone agreed that an incident on such a large scale must have been coordinated by national sources with something to gain.
Spanish officials were among those who suggested that Russia might have been involved, but Russian sources dismissed such allegations as “stupid” and claimed that the U.S. had a bigger motivation to stage the attack.
Last month, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh cited sources that accused U.S. government actors of executing the act of sabotage.
Now, Hungary wants a renewed probe into the matter to determine who was actually responsible for destroying the pipelines.
Peter Szijjarto, the nation’s foreign minister, asserted: “This is basically the first time when such a major European critical infrastructure was attacked. By whoever – but it was attacked.”
Hungarian authorities say they are seeking “comprehensive, deep, structured, and detailed” information about the attack.
“I think the U.N. should give a framework for such kind of an investigation,” Szijjarto said, noting that the international organization would provide an appropriate “platform for countries to talk to each other, who even consider each other as enemies.”
For its part, the Biden administration has roundly dismissed the claims included in Hersh’s report.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson echoed the reactions of officials in the Department of State and CIA, calling the allegation of U.S. involvement “utterly false and complete fiction.”
The narrative detailed in Hersh’s article outlined an alleged clandestine mission that started in June when a team of U.S. Navy divers planted explosives on the targeted pipelines. Three months later, sources claimed that the devices were remotely detonated.
According to one of the reporter’s sources, the operation amounted to “an act of war” and U.S. government officials moved forward despite pleas from the intelligence community who called it “stupid” and asserted that it would “be a political nightmare if it comes out.”
