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Tehran blames Saudis for "obstructing" Hajj for Iranian pilgrims

Xinhua, May 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of "obstructing" this year's Hajj rituals for the Iranian pilgrims.

Earlier, Iran announced that its citizens might miss the Hajj this year, after Tehran failed to reach an agreement with Riyadh on arrangements for its pilgrims to join the annual ritual in September.

"Unfortunately, the Saudi sabotage regarding the basic issues of Iranian pilgrims including their transfer, safety and visa issuance has resulted in the emergence of problems," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said in his weekly press conference.

"If Saudi Arabia does not stick to its obligations, it will be held responsible for creating obstacles on the way of Iranians to perform the rituals," Ansari said.

He accused the Saudi government of pursuing policies aimed at escalating tension and conflicts in the region and that such policies hamper Iran's attempts to expand ties with its neighbors.

Last week, Saudi Arabia also accused Iran of "politicizing" the Hajj and held Tehran responsible for barring its citizens from performing the ritual this season.

"Time is tight and it is too late" for further talks with Saudi officials to reach an agreement over sending Iranian pilgrims to the Hajj scheduled for September, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati said on May 12.

Talks with Saudi officials on the issue started four months ago, but "they obstructed the progress," the minister said.

Iranian pilgrims have to apply for a visa of Saudi Arabia from a third country, which means that Iranians will miss the ceremony this year, he said.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently locked in a diplomatic row over Syria and Yemen issues, as well as the Sunni-majority Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, along with 46 others over terror charges, in January.

The executions sent a large number of Iranians onto streets, and some of them stormed the Saudi diplomatic missions in capital Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Later, Riyadh cut its diplomatic ties with Tehran over the attacks, and many of Gulf countries either followed suit or downgraded their relations with Iran. Endit