Iranian pilgrims to join this year’s Haj

riyadh — Iranian pilgrims will perform this year’s Haj, Saudi Arabia said on Friday, despite ruptured ties between the two countries.

For the first time in nearly three decades Iran’s pilgrims — which would have numbered about 60,000 — did not perform last year’s Haj after Riyadh and Tehran failed to agree on security and logistics.

Tensions remain as Saudi Arabia repeatedly accuses Iran of fuelling conflicts by supporting armed movements in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.

But after talks between the two sides, the Iranians will join this year’s ritual which takes place at the beginning of September. “The ministry of Haj and the Iranian organisation have completed all the necessary measures to ensure Iranian pilgrims perform Haj 1438 according to the procedures followed by all Muslim countries,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, referring to this year in the Islamic calendar.

The Haj Ministry said that the kingdom welcomes “all pilgrims from all the different nationalities and backgrounds”.

Iran rejects accusations of regional aggression.

Although the verbal sparring continued, Saudi media reported in December that the Saudi minister in charge of pilgrimages, Mohammed Bentin, had invited Iran to discuss arrangements for this year’s Haj.

An Iranian delegation visited Saudi Arabia in February for talks with Bentin.

In early March, Iran said there had been progress. —