Khamenei's Warning to Saudi Arabia: Our Response Will Be Harsh and Severe

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, reacted sharply on Wednesday, October 8, to the Mina incident in Saudi Arabia, threatening that if Iran were to respond, it would be harsh and severe. The Mina incident, as reported by Riyadh, resulted in the deaths of approximately 800 pilgrims in Mecca, with at least 239 of these victims being Iranian. Additionally, 241 Iranian pilgrims are still missing, and Iranian officials believe this number indicates that the total number of victims could be as high as 1,500. Khamenei, who had previously demanded that the Saudi government take responsibility for the incident, again accused Riyadh of failing to fulfill its responsibilities towards the victims and the repatriation of their bodies to Iran during a ceremony for military academy students, stating: "Saudi officials do not fulfill their duties and even act contrary to them and engage in deceit." The issue of transferring the bodies of this year's Hajj victims to Iran has intensified tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. Reports had previously emerged about Riyadh's decision to bury these victims in Saudi soil, which the Iranian government reacted negatively to. Meanwhile, the names of some individuals associated with the Iranian government are among the missing, including Ghannadfar Rokanabadi, the former Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, and Ali-Asghar Fooladgar, the head of the Strategic Studies Office of the IRGC, concerning whom the Islamic Republic officials have a particular sensitivity. Khamenei warned Saudi Arabia: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far shown restraint and adhered to Islamic decorum and the sanctity of brotherhood in the Islamic world, but they should know that Iran's hand is stronger than many and has more resources, and if it decides to respond to the irritating and deceitful elements, their situation will not be good, and they will not be a match in any contest." Khamenei further stated that Iran has so far shown restraint and adhered to Islamic decorum and the sanctity of brotherhood in the Islamic world, but they should know that Iran's hand is stronger than many and has more resources. The Iranian government had previously referred to Saudi Arabia as a "hostile country" and announced that Iran would file a complaint against it. In contrast, Riyadh accuses Tehran of seeking to exploit the Mina incident politically. Some Iranian officials, including the Attorney General, have raised the issue of the incident being "intentional." However, Khamenei stated that Iran is not currently making a premature judgment on this matter. He remarked: "We are not making a premature judgment about the cause of this incident, but we believe that the Saudi government did not fulfill its duties towards the injured in the Mina incident and left them in a desperate and thirsty state." Khamenei ultimately called for the formation of a "fact-finding committee with the presence of Islamic countries, including Iran," to investigate the dimensions of the incident, while Riyadh has rejected Tehran's request for a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries for this purpose.