Iranians protest alleged "abuse" of teenage pilgrims in Saudi Arabia

Hundreds gathered in front of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran on Saturday to protest against what they called Saudi's airport guards' attempt to "abuse" two Iranian male teenagers.

The protesters chanted slogans against the Riyadh and tried to pull down the Saudi flag from the embassy, but they were stopped by the police.

The demonstrators called on the Iranian officials to close the embassy and stop Iranian pilgrims from traveling to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday, the local media reported that two Iranian teenage pilgrims were abused at the Jeddah international airport when they were searched by the Saudi guards.

The tensions have been running ever high between Iran and Saudi Arabia recently following the air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition against Shiite Houthi group in Yemen, which had made significant advancements to control major cities in the country.

On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the Saudi-led coalition has committed a big "mistake" in bombing Yemen.

The Iranian leader compared the Saudi-led raid on Yemen to the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past, saying that this action is "a crime and genocide which can be prosecuted internationally."

The Saudis and its allies in the Persian Gulf region have accused the Islamic republic of arming and financing the Houthis, which have been denied by the Iranian authorities. Endit