Riyadh: Iranian pilgrims will participate in this year's Haj, Saudi Arabia said yesterday, despite ruptured ties between the regional rivals.
For the first time in nearly three decades Iran's pilgrims — which would have numbered about 60,000 — did not attend last year's Haj after Riyadh and Tehran failed to agree on security and logistics. Saudi Arabia repeatedly accuses Iran of fuelling conflicts by supporting armed Shia movements in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.
"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.
