Iran Calls for Full Transparency on Mina Crush
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that the dimensions and circumstances of the deadly Hajj crush outside the holy city of Mecca must be clarified as soon as possible.
In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry called on the Saudi government to take “firm measures” to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future and urged the Saudis to show full transparency on causes of the crush.
Iran holds Saudi Arabia accountable for the disastrous event, the statement said, asking Saudi authorities to make full cooperation with officials of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization to facilitate the identification of the Iranian victims.
The Iranian foreign ministry also called on Riyadh to speed up repatriation of the bodies of Iranian victims.
The statement further stressed that the victim’s families must be compensated by Saudi Arabia for the loss of their loved ones.
Earlier on Wednesday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei also warned Riyadh that the slightest disrespect for the Iranian Hajj pilgrims or its failure to repatriate the bodies of those killed in the Mina crush will draw Iran’s “severe and tough reaction".
The Islamic Republic of Iran has had respect for fraternity in the Islamic world up to now, showing self-restraint and Islamic politeness, Imam Khamenei said.
“However,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined, “they (Saudis) should know that the slightest disrespect for tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims in Mecca and Medina and failing in their duties to transfer the holy bodies (of pilgrims to Iran) will result in Iran’s severe and tough reaction.”
Saudi rulers have come under heavy fire for their incompetence in handling the annual Hajj pilgrimage. This year’s tragic incident in Mina claimed nearly 4,700 lives, including at least 464 Iranians.
