Iranian delegation to meet Saudis over Haj

Tehran: An Iranian delegation will meet Saudi officials next week to discuss arrangements for this year’s Haj, the first dialogue between the rival sates since a diplomatic crisis erupted in January.

Riyadh severed diplomatic ties with Iran on January 3, a day after its missions in Tehran and Mashhad were stormed and set alight by mobs following the Sunni kingdom’s execution of a Saudi Shiite cleric.

Iran and Saudi Arabia stand on opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen but the death of thousands of pilgrims, including 464 Iranians, in a stampede at last year’s Haj in Saudi Arabia also caused a major spike in tensions.

Responding to an invitation, “the Iranian delegation will travel to Saudi Arabia to negotiate with their minister of Haj and other officials” about this year’s event, the head of Iran’s Haj organisation Saeed Ohadi told the official IRNA news agency late Wednesday.

This year’s annual Haj — a pilgrimage to the Saudi city of Makkah that all Muslims are expected to perform at least once in their lifetime — is due to take place in September.

“If both sides come to an agreement for sending Iranian pilgrims... a memorandum of understanding would be signed like in previous years.”

The arrangements were two months late, Ohadi said, criticising Saudi officials for not issuing visas for the Iranian delegation.

“Despite an official invitation from the minister of Haj of Saudi Arabia... if the visas are not ready on time, this trip will not happen,” he warned.

The talks will also address last September’s stampede. Iran blamed Saudi mismanagement for the deadly crush.

So far, the Riyadh government has taken no action to compensate the families of Iranian victims, Ohadi said.