'Saudis fear Iran's shedding light on Hajj tragedy'

An Iranian official says Saudi officials are afraid of undisclosed dimensions of a deadly stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage last year coming to light.

According to Press TV, Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it was still reviewing the deaths of thousands of people nine months after the deadly crush during Hajj in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca.

“More than nine months since the Mina disaster, the fate of those affected from different countries remains unclear,” Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi said on Saturday.

Last month, Iran canceled its participation in this year's holy pilgrimage to Mecca after Saudi authorities refused to guarantee the safety of pilgrims and created a raft of “obstacles” instead.

“One of the reasons for the Saudis’ refusal to accept Iranian pilgrims was the fear which they had about the disclosure of the number of Mina martyrs,” Ohadi said.

Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the incident, but officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people, including over 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives in Mina.

They were killed on September 24, 2015 after two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic stoning of Satan, making it the deadliest human crush in the history of the pilgrimage.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian official noted that the fate of many victims from countries other than Iran is still not known.

The Islamic Republic is the only country that managed to determine the fate of all its missing and dead nationals thanks to the decisive remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in that regard, he added.

The Leader had called on Riyadh following the disaster to accept its responsibility in the tragedy, help repatriate the bodies of the dead to Iran quickly and provide treatment to the injured.

Ohadi further accused the Riyadh regime of having adopted a “wrong approach” both prior to the incident and in dealing with its aftermath.

“This year, we adopted a dignified position in talks with Saudis and undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s performance would make Saudi Arabia step back and accept the duty to ensure the safety of our pilgrims,” Ohadi said.

ME