Iranian Media Reports Attack on Hajj Cleric from Isfahan in Mecca

Iranian state media reported an attack on one of the clerics from the Iranian Hajj caravan in Mecca, stating that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack and investigations are ongoing. According to the IRNA news agency, at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, September 6, three individuals attacked Hossein Esmaeili, a cleric from one of the Hajj caravans from Isfahan, as he was returning to his hotel, injuring him before fleeing on a motorcycle. The report indicates that the cleric was injured in the shoulder and side and was quickly transferred to a hospital with the help of rescuers from Iran and Saudi Arabia, where he has shown "relative improvement." This year, 86,500 Iranian pilgrims participated in the Hajj, with their return beginning on Tuesday, September 5. 68,000 Iranian pilgrims will return via Iranian airlines, while another 18,000 will return via Saudi airlines. Iranian pilgrims last participated in the Hajj in 2015, during which over two thousand people lost their lives due to overcrowding in the Mina area, including more than 460 Iranians. Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh were severed in January 2016 following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and a violent protest against Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. However, Iranian media reported on July 31 that the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia embraced and had a brief conversation during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. Meanwhile, on September 3, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced that a travel visa and flight permit for a Saudi delegation to visit its diplomatic missions in Iran had been issued, likely to occur after the Hajj. However, the Saudi Foreign Minister dismissed negotiations with Iran to improve relations as "ridiculous."