Iran's top leader slams Saudis for alleged "crimes in Muslim world"

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday slammed Saudi rulers for what he described as their "crimes in the Muslim world," according to his website.

Khamenei said extremists "created and equipped by Saudi Arabia have inflicted civil war in the Muslim world and have massacred civilians in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Libya."

"The Muslim world, the governments and the nations, should know the rulers of Saudi Arabia very well, and... the crimes that they have done in the Muslim world," Khamenei was quoted as saying in a message ahead of the annual Muslim Hajj ritual that will be held in Mecca of Saudi Arabia later this month.

Khamenei described Saudi rulers as "traitors" defending the interests of global arrogance and allying with the United States and Israel.

The Iranian leader again blamed Saudi officials for Iranian pilgrims' inability to attend the Hajj ceremonies this year.

Iran said earlier that performing Hajj for Iranian pilgrims was rendered "impossible" because Saudi Arabia failed to provide consular services to Iranians who wanted to attend the ritual.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have accused each other of "politicizing" the Hajj and held one another responsible for barring Iranian citizens from performing the ritual this season.

Relations between Tehran and Riyadh, already at odds over Iraq, Syria and Yemen, soured further after Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric over terror charges in January.

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

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