Legal action on Mina tragedy under consideration: Deputy FM

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araghchi said Iran is studying the tragic stampede in Saudi Arabia in which thousands of Hajj pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians, were killed and wounded.

“The legal team of the Foreign Ministry as well as the Presidential Office’s Legal Department, representatives of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization and related bodies are carrying out an investigation,” he told a gathering on Sunday.

“Possible legal action is under review so that the best legal and diplomatic procedure will be taken in order to secure the rights of the victims and prevent the repeat of similar incidents,” Araghchi added.

He said there is still no news about the fate of Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi who was in Mecca and has gone missing since the fatal incident.

“We hope that during the investigation and with the identification of new bodies, his fate will also be cleared. But there is no news yet,” Araghchi said.

The nuclear negotiator also welcomed ratification of a bill by Parliament to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action struck by Iran and world powers in July.

The deputy foreign minister also briefed the meeting in detail on the next steps to be taken for implementation of nuclear deal by the parties involved.