Reopening of Iran's Hajj Office in Saudi Arabia

Two weeks after the arrival of Iranian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, Iran's Hajj office in the country has reopened, and the sign that was taken down following the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries has been reinstalled. According to ISNA news agency, the building of the 'Mission' of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic was inaugurated on Friday evening, August 20, and the sign was installed by Saudi Arabia. According to the report, Hamid Mohammadi, head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, was also informed about the reopening of Iran's Hajj office during a brief trip to Mecca. The Iranian Hajj office was closed two years ago after the severance of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and its sign was removed. This office has reopened while the political relations between the two countries remain severed, and their embassies are also closed. However, a group of 10 Iranian diplomats traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, August 12, to follow up on Hajj-related matters. According to officials from the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, these 10 individuals are employees of the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After an agreement for sending Iranian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in 2017, Tehran requested that a consular delegation from Iran be stationed in the country during Hajj to address consular issues related to Iranian citizens. This year, 86,500 Iranian pilgrims are participating in Hajj. The last time Iranian pilgrims participated in the Hajj was in 2015. At that time, due to overcrowding during the passage of pilgrims through the Mina area, more than 2,000 people lost their lives, over 460 of whom were Iranian. The verbal disputes between Iranian and Saudi officials following this incident and their failure to reach an agreement on the conditions for both sides prevented Iranian pilgrims from attending Hajj in 2016. Saudi Arabia had set conditions for the participation of Iranian pilgrims in Hajj, including holding the Dua-e-Kumayl prayer in an enclosed space. Meanwhile, the first Dua-e-Kumayl prayer for Iranian pilgrims was held in an enclosed space on Thursday evening, August 12. The verbal confrontations between officials of the two countries continue. However, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia embraced each other and had a brief conversation during the executive committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Tuesday, August 10. Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric and critic of the Saudi government, protests were held in front of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, which ultimately led to attackers entering the embassy and consulate and setting parts of the buildings on fire. In response to this event, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3, 2016. In this context, 10 Iranian diplomats have traveled to Saudi Arabia to follow up on Hajj affairs. A representative of Khamenei stated that the internal atmosphere in the country regarding Hajj is somewhat tense. A member of parliament noted that Iran could retaliate by detaining dozens of Saudi citizens.