Manama: The first batch of Iranian pilgrims were welcomed upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia with baskets of flowers and fresh dates, Iranian officials have said.
The group landed at Madinah airport in western Saudi Arabia on Sunday and was received by Saudi and Iranian Haj authorities who said they were happy to see Iranians performing Haj again, the Islamic Republic News Agency (Irna) reported.
Director General of Planning and Dispatching pilgrims at the Haj and Pilgrimage Organisation Kamran Akbari said that 86,500 Iranians would be taken into Saudi Arabia via 335 flights this year.
“Of the 335 flights, Madinah is the destination for 179 flights and Jeddah for the remaining 156 flights,” he said.
“The flights carrying Iranian pilgrims are set to start on July 31 and the last group to return from Haj to Iran will be back home by September 25.”
On Thursday, a convoy of 230 assistance staff that included chefs and physicians, arrived in Madinah ahead of the pilgrims.
Iranian authorities are allowing their nationals to perform Haj this year after they chose to boycott last year.
In January, Bahram Qasemi, the foreign ministry spokesperson, claimed the ministry received no invitation from Saudi Arabia and had no plans for dispatching pilgrims for Haj, Irna reported.
However, two days later, Tehran retracted the statement, saying that its foreign ministry spokesperson had been misquoted.
Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam, attracts around three million Muslims worldwide.. All countries that send pilgrims to perform Haj must sign an agreement with Saudi authorities to coordinate the visas, travel and stay of their nationals during the religious event.
In January, Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammad Saleh Bin Taher Bentin said the Saudi government welcomed all pilgrims and umrah performers and visitors, irrespective of their nationalities or sectarian affiliations.
“The Kingdom is keen on applying measures and regulations to ensure a successful pilgrimage season for all,” the minister said.
Saudi Arabia insists on the purely religious and spiritual dimensions of Haj and rules out any attempt to politicise the ritual.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have no diplomatic relations after they were severed by Riyadh in January last year following attacks on its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northern city of Mashhad.
