Reaction of the Ministry of Culture to Saudi Arabia's Letter Regarding Punishment of Officers Accused of Sexual Harassment

While reports indicate that the Saudi Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the Iranian consulate in Jeddah stating that two Saudi officers accused of sexually harassing two Iranian teenagers 'will face the severest punishment', the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic deemed this letter insufficient and called for an official apology from Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, April 6, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister announced that during the second week of the Nowruz holidays, while inspecting an Iranian Umrah caravan, airport officers in Jeddah separated two Iranian teenagers from the rest under the pretext of suspicion and subjected them to sexual harassment. The announcement of this news has heightened tensions between the two countries and even led to the suspension of Umrah trips from Iran. In this context, the Hajj news agency reported on Tuesday, April 27, that the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Makkah region branch) in an official letter to the Iranian consulate in Jeddah regarding the incident at Jeddah airport stated that 'the two offending airport police officers will face the severest punishment'. The letter further stated that the Saudi relevant authorities have referred this matter along with the accused to the investigative committee and the prosecutor's office to complete necessary actions. The letter concluded by emphasizing that the Saudi royal authorities, based on Islamic law, are obligated to impose the severest punishment on those who are convicted, and in this regard, the Iranian consulate will be informed of the issued verdict. According to Fars News Agency, on Tuesday, Hossein Nooshabadi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, reacted by saying: 'We have previously announced that the Saudi government must issue an official apology to the Islamic Republic of Iran and impose the severest punishment on those two offending and abusive officers; otherwise, Umrah trips will remain suspended.' Mr. Nooshabadi added: 'These two conditions must be met: a direct, clear, serious, and immediate apology from the Saudi government, which must be formally issued to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and severe punishment for these two offenders. The Saudi government has committed to the severest punishment in negotiations and has stated that these two individuals will be punished, but so far, no official apology has been announced.' He continued: 'The apology mentioned was announced last night but is insufficient because the Saudi Foreign Ministry has provided a letter to the Iranian consulate.'