Zarif Urges Saudis to Consult with Muslim States on Running Hajj
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s foreign minister said Saudis had better consult with other Islamic countries and tap into their experience and assistance in handling the annual Hajj pilgrimage to prevent the tragic incidents like Thursday’s crush of pilgrims in Mina that claimed around 2,000 lives.
Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday sent separate messages to his counterparts in the Muslim countries whose nationals have been killed or injured in the crush near the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca while performing the Hajj rituals on Thursday.
With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst ever Hajj disaster.
136 Iranian pilgrims have been pronounced dead so far, and more than a hundred others have been wounded.
Extending condolences to his Muslim counterparts on the deaths, Zarif also hoped that the Saudi executive officials would understand the scope of their heavy responsibility for the annual Hajj services.
To handle the Hajj pilgrimage in the best way, Zarif added, Riyadh needs to prepare the ground for consultation and cooperation with the other Muslim nations and use their experiences to avert such tragedies in the future.
The deadly crush has killed pilgrims from Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Burundi, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania and a number of other countries.
