Iranian Ministers Blast Riyadh’s Conduct after Mina Tragedy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli in a letter to his Saudi counterpart strongly criticized the unaccountability of the Arab country over the recent crush in Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca, which killed hundreds of pilgrims including at least 464 Iranians.
More painful than the original incident is the irresponsibility and unaccountability, and unacceptable level of cooperation on the part of Saudi officials who were legally and ethically responsible for the pilgrims’ security, Rahmani Fazli said.
He made the remarks in a Thursday letter to Saudi Arabian Interior Minister Muhammad bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which was delivered to the Arab country’s chargé d'affaires in Tehran.
The Iranian minister urged his counterpart’s cooperation and called on him to order his subordinates to have responsible cooperation with the Iranian team of officials pursuing the fate of Iranian victims in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati also sent a separate letter of protest to Saudi Arabia’s Hajj minister, expressing discontent over the Saudis’ performance after the tragedy and the improper way Riyadh’s failure to properly taking care of the injured.
Jannati rapped Riyadh’s conduct regarding Iran on the issue of Hajj as having been “against the international and diplomatic norms.”
The Iranian minister vowed that the country will pursue the incidents that happened in Mina in international bodies.
According to Iranian officials, about 4,700 pilgrims were killed in the crush in Mina on September 24 when performing religious rites. With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst Hajj disaster in 25 years.
Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization on Thursday put the final number of Iranian pilgrims killed in the disaster at 464.
The incident came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Mecca.
On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.
Saudi authorities have come under fire for their inability to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who converge on Mecca every year.
