Iran’s FM Censures Saudi Irresponsibility on Mina Tragedy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized Riyadh’s handling of situation following a crush of people that killed thousands of Hajj pilgrims in Mina last month, saying the Saudi government did not act responsibly on the incident.
“We feel that the Saudi government and Hajj officials did not deal with the Mina tragedy responsibly and that they failed to take proper measures to save the lives of pilgrims and address the conditions of victims,” Zarif said Tuesday, at the funeral of an Iranian diplomat who lost his life in the incident.
At least 465 Iranians were among the thousands of pilgrims who died in the September 24 crush in Mina, near Mecca. Dozens of Iranian nationals are still unaccounted for in the worst ever Hajj-related tragedy.
Elsewhere in his comments, Zarif said Iran is consulting with other Muslim countries on the disaster and seeks to shed light on the real causes of the incident.
Earlier on Monday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization to seriously pursue the case and not allow the tragedy to sink into oblivion.
“This issue should not be forgotten in silence, but should be mooted in the international circles for years, and the Western governments and the organizations claiming (to advocate) human rights should be the target of this move,” the Supreme Leader said.