Hajj Uncontrolled Concerted: Iranian leader attacks Saudi management
The supreme leader of Iran has attacked Saudi Arabia’s management of the Hajj nearly a year on since hundreds of pilgrims were killed in a stampede.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said because of Riyadh’s “oppressive conduct” the “world of Islam” should reconsider its management of the Hajj.
This year it starts on 11 September but Iranians will not participate.
In a statement Ayatollah Khamenei
“They [the universe of Islam] must not let those [Saudi] rulers escape responsibility for the offenses they’ve caused throughout the world of Islam.”
Regional competitors
In May Saudi Arabia and Iran failed to defuse a row including flights and visa requirements which have barred Iranians from completing the pilgrimage, on several problems surrounding the Hajj.
About 60,000 Iranians attended the Hajj died in the stampede near Mecca. 400 last year and some
Iran and Saudi Arabia are long standing competitions for regional direction.
In January, the primarily Sunni Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric.
