Iran 'will not send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia' for Hajj

BBC

Iranians will not make the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia this year after talks failed to break an impasse, an Iranian minister has said.

Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Ali Jannati said the Saudis had played a "destructive" role in negotiations, Iranian news agency Irna reported.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on Mr Jannati's remarks.

Iranian-Saudi tensions soared earlier this year after Saudi Arabia executed a dissident Shia cleric.

Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties and halted flights to and from Iran after Iranians stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran over the death of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr

Last year, more than 460 Iranians were killed in a stampede at the Hajj, which Iran blamed on Saudi "mismanagement".

Sticking points in the talks centre around the issuing of visas and security arrangements for the Hajj.

"The sabotage is coming from the Saudis. Their attitude was cold and inappropriate," Mr Jannati said.

Because Saudi Arabia does not have a diplomatic mission in Tehran any longer, it wants Iranian pilgrims to travel to a third country to obtain a visa.

But Iran wants Saudi Arabia to issue visas through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which has looked after Saudi interests since Riyadh broke off ties.

Mr Janati also said Saudi Arabia had not accepted Iranian proposals for the security and transportation of the Iranian pilgrims.

Majority-Shia Iran and leading Sunni power Saudi Arabia are at loggerheads over a number regional issues, including support for opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36277234

They are angry at Saudi

Iranian pilgrims won’t be sent to Hajj this year: Minister

Iran says it will not send pilgrims to Hajj this year because Saudi Arabia is refusing to cooperate on arrangements for Iranians to join the annual rituals in September.

“Conditions are not prepared for conducting Hajj; we have lost the time; we made our utmost effort but the sabotage is coming from the Saudis,” Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati said on Thursday.

An Iranian delegation held four days of talks in Saudi Arabia last month aimed at thrashing out a deal, but with Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran closed since January and Iranian flights to the kingdom halted they hit deadlock.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran on January 3 following attacks on vacant Saudi diplomatic perimeters in Tehran and Mashhad by angry people protesting the kingdom's execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Jannati said the Saudis had mistreated Iranian delegates headed by chairman of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Saeid Ouhadi, subjecting them to finger-printing among other hostile procedures.

“Their attitude was cold and inappropriate. They did not accept our proposals concerning the issuing of visas, the transport and security of the pilgrims,” Jannati said.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari advised Riyadh against letting its political preferences affect the important Islamic tradition.

Jaberi Ansari said the Saudi government has refused to act on “its recurrent assertions that it would not let political disputes get in the way of the issue of Hajj.”

Iran has been insisting that Saudi Arabia issue visas through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which has looked after Saudi interests since Riyadh broke off ties in January.

Tehran has said it is ready to swiftly issue visas for Saudi visa officers to perform the procedure at the Swiss diplomatic mission or elsewhere in Tehran, according to Jaberi Ansari.

[img]http://217.218.67.233//photo/20160512/91533d58-ee7d-4246-af23-9f7332871ee8.jpg[/img]
Saudi emergency personnel and Hajj pilgrims stand near the bodies covered in sheets at the site of a crush in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, September 24, 2015. © AFP

Saudi Arabia has also insisted that third-country airlines have to transport the pilgrims, while the two countries would previously each share half of the responsibility for the air travels.

"Saudi officials say our pilgrims must travel to another country to make their visa applications," Jannati said.

Another contentious issue has been security, after a massive stampede at last year's Hajj killed more than 2,400 foreign pilgrims, including 464 Iranians.

The crush took place on September 24, 2015, after two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina, near Mecca, during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat.

http://en.abna24.com/service/iran/archive/2016/05/12/753770/story.html

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/05/12/465205/Iran-Hajj-Saudi-Arabia-Jannati

VocalWalls:
They are angry at Saudi

I do not think it has to do with anger. it has to do with safety of the pilgrims for which Saudi was accused last of not doing enough after the stampede that killed over two thousand pilgrims. and it was said that the gates were locked on pilgrims so that a saudi price could have his convoy pass through the roads easily.

also, hajj is a political event as much as it is a religious event. the large gathering of people is a show of solidarity. there was a time the Prophet (s) cancelled pilgrimage to Makkah because of a truce he had with the polytheists Quraysh tribes of Makkah who were then in control of the Ka'bah. so if there is no political agreement, and guaranty for safety of the pilgrims from the host then it is better to not go into deathtrap. after all, the Prophet (s) explicitly said that the blood of a believer is more sacred than the walls of the Ka'bah. if there is possibility that blood of the believer will be spilled, it is better to avoid.

Lord thank you for this confusion you put in Enemies camps. It happen in the holy Bible and it will happen again.

ShiaMuslim:


I do not think it has to do with anger. it has to do with safety of the pilgrims for which Saudi was accused last of not doing enough after the stampede that killed over two thousand pilgrims. and it was said that the gates were locked on pilgrims so that a saudi price could have his convoy pass through the roads easily.

also, hajj is a political event as much as it is a religious event. the large gathering of people is a show of solidarity. there was a time the Prophet (s) cancelled pilgrimage to Makkah because of a truce he had with the polytheists Quraysh tribes of Makkah who were then in control of the Ka'bah. so if there is no political agreement, and guaranty for safety of the pilgrims from the host then it is better to not go into deathtrap. after all, the Prophet (s) explicitly said that the blood of a believer is more sacred than the walls of the Ka'bah. if there is possibility that blood of the believer will be spilled, it is better to avoid.

It's the same thing I said.
They called Saudi incompetent and have not forgiven them for last year's incident.

philGeo:
Lord thank you for this confusion you put in Enemies camps. It happen in the holy Bible and it will happen again.

What sorcery is this?
Please bounce! Bigot!

Iran's other option is negotiate with Israel to allow Iranians come to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.That's highly unlikely but Jerusalem is the next holy city in the Islamic world.

My Good Advice:I think the solution the muslim world needs to stem down Saudi or Iranian control over Islam should be the independence of their holy cities,Mecca for example should be an independent state like the Vatican.I believe muslims can push for this and pattern their religion like the Holy See.

My Bad but Great Advice:Iran and Saudi Arabia should do the world a big favor-Fvcking blow each other up

ValerianSteel:


My Bad but Great Advice:Iran and Saudi Arabia should do the world a big favor-Fvcking blow each other up

I had a terrifying dream last night. The 2 holy lands (Mecca & Jerusalem) were nuked into ashes with no survivors and I heard some people yelling Eriwo-Ya! Eriwo-Ya! Eriwo-Ya! And then I woke up.

What I find extremely bemusing is; most of the dreams (about 92%) I had on Saturdays never failed to manifest.

I know you will soon be a father and even though I do not like you, I would hate for your child to be an orphan. Do not try to be a hero - You know exactly what to do.

Zoharariel:


I had a terrifying dream last night. The 2 holy lands (Mecca & Jerusalem) were nuked into ashes with no survivors and I heard some people yelling Eriwo-Ya! Eriwo-Ya! Eriwo-Ya! And then I woke up.

What I find extremely bemusing is; most of the dreams (about 92%) I had on Saturdays never failed to manifest.

I know you will soon be a father and even though I do not like you, I would hate for your child to be an orphan. Do not try to be a hero - You know exactly what to do.

Nostradamus,your prophecy is rebuked.