Foreign Ministry to follow up Leader's message on Hajj

EghtesadOnline: The Foreign Ministry will follow up Supreme Leader's message on this year's Hajj in all aspects, it was announced on Thursday by Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour.

News ID: ۷۶۹۳۰۴

08 September 2016

On September 5, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a message to the world Muslims on the occasion of this year's Hajj congregation which is to be performed in the absence of the Iranian pilgrims.

The Leader urged the Islamic world leaders and Muslim nations to work out a final solutions to the Hajj problems caused by Saudi rulers, reports IRNA.

'... They (world Muslims) must think of a fundamental solution for the management of the Two Holy Mosques and the issue of Hajj,' said the Leader while ctriticizing the Saudi rulers for reducing the Hajj 'to a mere pilgrimage-tourism trip'.

'Leader's words are instructions' of Iran's Foreign Policy establishment and would be pursued in all aspects, Rahimpour told IRNA.

Over 5,000 pilgrims, including 461 Iranians, were killed in a deadly stampede occurred in Mina on September 24, last year, due to the mismanagement of the Saudi rulers to handle the Hajj rituals. After the tragic incident, Iran said Saudi Arabia must provide due security for all pilgrims, including the Iranians, while they are in that country in Hajj season but the Saudi rulers refused to guarantee the pilgrims safety and consequently, deprived Iranians from performing their annual Hajj rituals this year which is a legitimate right for any Muslim.

Saudi officials lacked political will to facilitate trip of Iranian pilgrims to that country and did not even follow the least of human principles and political literature during their talks with the Iranian officials, said Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi.

In a move to shrug off their responsibility for the tragic incident, the Saudi rulers claimed that it was the 'destiny' in which no one should interfere.

More in his message on Hajj 2016, Ayatollah Khamenei said, 'Saudi rulers, who have obstructed the path to Allah and the Masjid al-Haram this year and blocked the way of the fervent and faithful Iranian pilgrims to the House of the Beloved, are disgraced misguided people, who tie their survival on the throne of [their] oppressive power to defending global arrogant powers and [forming] alliance with Zionism and America and making efforts to meet their demand, and they do not shy away from any act of treason to that end.'