Iran on Saturday vowed to take worldwide legal action against Saudi Arabia’s rulers over the crush of Muslim pilgrims at this year’s hajj, which killed at least 769 people, including 136 Iranians, and has led to an escalation of tensions between the regional archrivals.
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Muslim pilgrims walk past tents, a day after a stampede nearby in which more than 700 people died, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, September 25, 2015.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that Saudi authorities have released photos of pilgrims who died in Thursday’s stampede.
“‘This is not incompetence, it’s a crime, ‘ Raisi told state broadcaster IRIB”.
Shia Iran has accused its Sunni archrival Saudi Arabia of mismanaging the pilgrimage, which annually draws some two million people from 180 countries.
The war of words between archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Hajj stampede escalated on Sunday after Iran’s supreme leader demanded Saudis apologise for the accident that left 769 pilgrims dead and over 900 others injured. “So there are still some bodies that have not been identified yet…According to information available from the Ministry of Health, no man-made factors were involved in the stampede”, Al-falih said. Over 300 other Iranians remain unaccounted for, including former ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, Fars news agency reported.
One outspoken critic of redevelopment at the holy sites said police were not properly trained and lacked the language skills for communicating with foreign pilgrims, who make up the majority of those on the haj.
He reaffirmed Iranian Hajj officials’ readiness to immediately help and cooperate with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj over the tragedy.
Meanwhile Saudi media has blamed Iranian pilgrims for causing the confusion by not heeding to instructions.
President Hassan Rouhani appealed for United Nations mediation with the Saudis, in a meeting with UN chief Ban Ki Moon in New York, state television reported.
Iranian leaders have been fiercely critical of Saudi authorities’ handling of safety at the hajj and questioned whether Riyadh was fit to continue organizing the annual pilgrimage.
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Despite Saudi officials’ earlier promises of cooperation, Riyadh falls short of adopting adequate measures to determine the fate of the missing pilgrims, he added.
