PHOTO: Iran’s Supreme Leader addresses crowd in Tehran, September 9
Iran is claiming victory in its PR campaign against Saudi Arabia, with a representative of the Supreme Leader declaring that Ayatollah Khamenei had forced Riyadh to “change its behavior”.
Already-high tensions between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia have further escalated since a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage near Mecca on September 24. Tehran’s officials say 464 Iranians died in the tragedy and have challenged the official death toll of 765, saying 4,700 pilgrims were killed.
The Supreme Leader denounced Saudi Arabia for negligence and mismanagement and demanded an apology. President Rouhani opened his address to the UN General Assembly with the call for an independent inquiry, while the Revolutionary Guards promised “harsh action”.
On Thursday, General Yadollah Javani said of Khamenei’s “very important and strategic” comments:
Before the Supreme Leader’s remarks, the Saudis obstructed and disregarded, but after his stance, their behavior changed.
[The royal house of] al-Saud has felt it is in a position such that it can do anything and no one will force [the Saudis] to be accountable….The Supreme Leader forced al Saud to respond, and they understood that the Iranian nation will not allow the encroachment of its rights.”
Javani maintained the warning of an Iranian military response, saying “the IRGC [Revolutionary Guards] have the necessary readiness and capability to execute” any command from the Supreme Leader.
Khamenei’s Chief of Staff, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, continued to press Riyadh with another call for a comprehensive investigation led by Islamic countries. He criticized the Saudis for “sabotaging” attempts at an inquiry and said Khamenei will “not drop” the issue.
The episode has reinforced the Supreme Leader’s position against the Government’s attempt at engagement of the Saudis over regional issues from Syria to Yemen to the Islamic State and Iraq. On Wednesday, Khamenei also ruled out any discussions with the US.
Iran Daily: Supreme Leader Cuts Off Government’s “Engagement” Foreign Policy
The Rouhani Government was more measured in its remarks on Thursday. First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri emphasized:
The government will use all its capacities to identify the bodies of all vicitims of the Mina incident and return them to the country. We are in contact with the Saudi officials through all possible means and our colleagues at the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization and Supreme Leader’s office in Mecca are working on this.
