Hajj

Iran says it may reconsider its earlier decision to send Iranian pilgrims to this year’s Hajj as Riyadh has not yet issued visas for the Iranian diplomats supposed to leave for Saudi Arabia before the annual rituals begin.

An Iranian official says there are some groups who are seeking to escalate the current disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia by dissuading Iranian pilgrims from visiting the holy sites in the Arab country.

An Iranian official says the Saudi government has started issuing visa for Iranian Hajj pilgrims as of July 13.

Iran’s culture minister says Saudi Arabia has provided “written assurances” that it will meet all of Tehran’s conditions with regard to ensuring security for Iranian pilgrims in the upcoming Hajj ceremony.

Saudi Arabia has granted 10 Iranian Foreign Ministry representatives entry into the kingdom for handling consular affairs and helping Iranian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season, an official announced.

Based on an agreement with Saudi Arabia, as many as 86,500 Iranian pilgrims will travel to the kingdom during this year’s Hajj season, an official announced.

Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization announced that the conditions for participation of Iranians in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage have been fulfilled following negotiations with Saudi officials after a hiatus in the wake of a diplomatic row with the kingdom.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country may send nationals to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Hajj rituals this year.

The two Saudi police officers behind the harassment of two Iranian teenagers at Jeddah Airport in 2015 have been sentenced to 4 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, an Iranian official announced.

Delegations from Tehran and Riyadh held the first round of talks about conditions for the dispatch of Iranian nationals to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage later this year.

After receiving an invitation from Saudi officials, an Iranian delegation has left Tehran for Saudi Arabia on Thursday to attend the upcoming Hajj talks.

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance says if Saudi Arabia pays the blood money of Iranian pilgrims killed in Mina tragedy in 2015, the Islamic Republic may resume sending its pilgrims to the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

An Iranian MP says Iran will in no way accept that a third country issues Saudi Arabia’s visa for Iranian pilgrims who want to go on annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

An Iranian official announced that an Iranian delegation will be dispatched to Saudi Arabia next month to discuss the possible attendance of Iranian pilgrims in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

Iran has confirmed receiving an invitation to discuss preparations for the next annual Hajj pilgrimage from Saudi Arabia.

A lawmaker says Iran will set conditions for accepting any invitation by Saudi Arabia to resume sending pilgrims to Hajj.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman denied rumors that Iranians will be again barred from making Hajj pilgrimage in the next summer, saying the final decision remains to be made after a possible invitation from Saudi Arabia and subsequent talks.

Reports say Saudi Arabia has invited Iran to discuss the resumption of Hajj pilgrimages by Iranians, a process that has been halted over a litany of Hajj-time disasters and moves by Riyadh impeding the performance of the Islamic ritual by Iranians.

Saudi Arabia’s refusal to apologize for the deaths of thousands of pilgrims in a deadly crush of people in last year’s Hajj or its failure to identify those at fault raises doubts about involvement of government officials in the incident, top Iranian official Ali Shamkhani said.

Given the Saudis’ incompetence in running hajj rituals last year, some Islamic countries have voiced their criticism against the Al Saud.

Spokesman for the Iranian administration expressed the cabinet’s determination to relieve the pains of those who lost their loved ones in a fatal crush of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during last year’s Hajj.

Iran’s interests section in Egypt denied reports on a religious fatwa attributed to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei alleging that Iranians could go on pilgrimage to Iraq’s holy Shiite shrines, as in Karbala, instead of Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

An Iranian official says the Islamic Republic will not give up pursuing the rights of the victims of a deadly crush during last year’s Hajj rituals in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, until justice is achieved.

A mourning ceremony was held in Behesht-e Zahra Cemetry in southern Tehran on Thursday in commemoration of the victims of the last year's deadly crush of people in Saudi Arabia's Mina, which led to the death of more than 7,000 people, including 465 Iranians.

Documents recently leaked from Saudi Arabia's Health Ministry disclosed that over 90,000 pilgrims have lost their lives during the Hajj rituals in Mecca over the past 14 years.