Iranians Not Taking Part in Umrah
Hamid Mohammadi said that under the current conditions, with the severed ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, political grounds are not set for participation of Iranian pilgrims in Umrah.
The previous negotiations with the Saudi side were only about the 2017 Hajj, he noted.
Mohammadi added that talks with Riyadh on next year’s Hajj will start in December.
As many as 86,500 Iranian pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this summer.
Iran announced in mid-March that applicants can go on Hajj pilgrimage this year following negotiations with Saudi officials after a hiatus in the wake of a diplomatic row with the kingdom.
In 2016, more than 1.8 million pilgrims attended Hajj, but Iranians stayed home after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly crush of people during the 2015 pilgrimage.
On September 24, 2015, thousands of people lost their lives in the deadly crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.
The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage. According to an Associated Press count based on official statements from the 36 countries that lost citizens in the disaster, more than 2,400 pilgrims were killed in the incident.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed, but officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people, including over 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives.
Most Commented 