Ghasghavi: We do not have an ambassador or diplomat in Saudi Arabia to follow up on the Mina case

One day after the Iranian President described the attackers on Saudi diplomatic sites as 'ignorant and emotional', the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran reiterated that due to the severed relations with Saudi Arabia, they are unable to pursue their demands in that country. He stated, 'We currently do not have an ambassador or diplomat in Saudi Arabia to follow up on our demands and file a lawsuit regarding the Mina tragedy.' According to a report on Thursday, September 18, by ISNA news agency, Hassan Ghasghavi, the Deputy for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that the Iranian Consul General in Saudi Arabia 'had discussions with 28 Saudi lawyers in Riyadh before the embassy incident, and two of them accepted our representation,' but the attack on Saudi diplomatic sites in Iran 'gave Saudi Arabia an excuse.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, also expressed regret on September 17 that 'a number of ignorant and emotional individuals provided this excuse to the Saudi government to escape forward and display a political break to free itself from the political and legal pressures of the Iranian government.' Mr. Ghasghavi also stated on Thursday that 'the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the order of the Supreme Leader, considers it its duty to pursue this matter vigorously to the end.' However, this official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly acknowledged over the past two months that Iran does not have the means to legally pursue this issue at all. During the stampede at the Hajj ceremony in October 2015, hundreds of pilgrims from various countries were trampled and killed. Nearly 500 Iranian pilgrims were among the deceased. This incident sparked intense anger among the rulers of the Islamic Republic. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has repeatedly attacked the Saudi rulers with harsh words after that incident, describing what he called 'the negligence and incompetence of Al Saud' as 'a renewed proof of the incompetence of this accursed tree in managing the two holy shrines.' Despite the harsh attacks from the leaders of the Islamic Republic, this year's Hajj ceremony will also be held in Saudi Arabia as previously scheduled. In response to Mr. Khamenei's recent remarks, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia stated that 'Iranians are not Muslims,' and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council described these remarks as 'ugly and disgusting.' Shortly after the Mina incident, Saudi Arabia executed a Shia cleric and dozens of Sunnis whom they labeled as members of ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, led to dozens of plainclothes individuals attacking the embassy and consulate of that country in Iran and setting their buildings on fire. In protest of this attack, Saudi Arabia severed all its relations with Iran.