PHOTO: Bodies covered in sheets at the site of a crush in Mina, near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, September 24, 2015 (AFP)


Iran has renewed criticism of Saudi Arabia over the deaths of thousands of pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians, in a crush near Mecca in September 2015.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Wednesday, “As the Muslim ummah is well aware, incompetent Saudi officials are undoubtedly responsible for the tragic incident and they should be seriously held to account.”

Qassemi said that the Foreign Ministry is “doing its utmost to restore the rights of the families of the victims”, indicating that legal action was being considered through consultations with the judiciary and other Government agencies.

The disaster occurred on September 24, 2015 when two large marches of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina on their way to the “Stoning the Devil” ceremony.

Saudi Arabia officially says about 770 people were killed, but international media put the number at more than 2,400 and Iran claims 4,700, including 464 Iranians.

The incident was a catalyst for a further downturn in Iranian-Saudi relations, already strained over regional conflicts such as the Syrian conflict, Saudi aerial intervention in the Yemeni civil war, and Saudi support of a repressive Bahraini monarchy.

In January, Riyadh broke diplomatic relations after a crowd in Tehran attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran, following Saudi Arabia’s execution of 47 people including a prominent Shia cleric.

The developments have damaged the Rouhani Government’s pursuit of “engagement” in foreign policy, with Iranian hardliners and conservatives criticizing Government weakness in its stance towards Riyadh.

Iranian and Saudi officials pursued negotiations this spring for Iranians to return to the pilgrimage, but the talks have broken down.