Conflicting Reports from Iranian Officials on the Trial of Jeddah Airport Officers

While the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister announced the trial of two 'guilty' police officers from Jeddah Airport and requested the death penalty for them, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization stated that the trial of these two officers 'may' begin 'by the end of this week.' According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, said on Tuesday, June 12, that 'based on the existing evidence, a heavy indictment has been prepared for these two corrupt and guilty individuals.' Iranian officials reported that during the second week of the Nowruz holidays this year, while inspecting an Iranian Umrah caravan, Jeddah Airport officers separated two Iranian teenagers under the pretext of suspicion and subjected them to sexual harassment. Following the news of this incident and several protests in Tehran and other cities, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture, announced on Monday, April 24, that the Umrah pilgrimage for Iranian pilgrims would be suspended until the trial and punishment of these officers. However, Hassan Qashqavi, the Deputy Parliamentary and Consular Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the first trial session for these 'guilty police officers' on the morning of Monday, June 11, at the 7th Criminal Court in Jeddah. According to Mr. Qashqavi, the Jeddah prosecutor has requested the death penalty for these individuals on charges of 'breach of trust as a police officer and committing heinous acts during duty.' According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Qashqavi also mentioned that the Iranian Consul General in Jeddah was present at the court session, and the continuation of the trial has been postponed to the following Wednesday. However, one day after these statements, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization made contradictory remarks, stating that the trial of the two Saudi police officers 'may begin by the end of this week.' Meanwhile, this Hajj and Pilgrimage official emphasized on Tuesday that the trial of these two officers 'alone' would not lead to the resumption of Iranian pilgrims' travel for Umrah. According to Saeed Ohadi, after the trial and punishment of these two officers and negotiations with the Saudi Minister of Hajj, if there is assurance of 'the safety of pilgrims and the necessary solutions at the airport, holy places, etc.,' Iranian pilgrims' travel for Umrah will resume. Mr. Ohadi also stated on Monday: 'I have heard that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj has held security meetings with the police of this country, and solutions have been proposed, but all of this has been hearsay.' Two days before the announcement of the cancellation of Iranian pilgrims' Umrah travel, Nasser Khodernajad, Deputy of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, stated that 'many flights' of Iranian pilgrims were canceled due to 'the lack of visa issuance' by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Hassan Qashqavi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, said on Saturday, June 2, regarding this issue: 'The problem of visa issuance by Saudi Arabia has been ongoing for a long time and this issue was not resolved until the issue of the assault on the two Iranian teenagers arose.' According to Mr. Qashqavi, Iran has agreed to increase the staff of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, but nevertheless, the 'visa issue' has not yet been resolved.