Representative of Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran is not willing to boycott this year's Hajj

The representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Hajj affairs stated that Iran, despite the rejection of its conditions by Saudi Arabia, is not willing to boycott the Hajj ceremony this year. The two countries are set to negotiate on this matter in Esfand (February). According to a report on Friday (January 13), Ali Qazi Askar said that if the Islamic Republic's conditions are accepted in the negotiations on February 24 with Saudi officials, Iran will participate in this year's Hajj. Qazi Askar declared 'the preservation of the dignity of Iranian pilgrims' as one of the Islamic Republic's conditions in the upcoming negotiations. He also identified Saudi Arabia as 'responsible' for the cancellation of last year's Hajj, adding: 'Saudi officials did not act according to the necessary arrangements for the presence of Iranian pilgrims, and we also canceled the Hajj.' This cleric also stated that 'our intention is not to cancel this year's Hajj, and we are trying through our negotiations to establish conditions for holding a dignified and honorable Hajj.' According to the representative of Ali Khamenei in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs, a delegation from Iran is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on February 24 to discuss the dispatch of Iranian pilgrims for this year's Hajj with the officials of that country. Saudi Arabia has sent an invitation for this year's Hajj to Iran, which Ali Qazi Askar confirmed and announced the negotiations on February 24 in this context. He said, 'In this meeting, we will present our positions in Saudi Arabia while respecting wisdom, expediency, and the dignity of the people.' Hamid Mohammadi, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, also stated on Friday in an interview with ISNA that 'if the negotiations yield results and Iran's demands are met, there will be no problem for the Hajj operations.' Iran has suspended Umrah since late April 2015 following the Jeddah airport incident and holds Saudi officials responsible for this suspension. Last year, after the diplomatic relations between the Saudi government and Iran were severed, the Hajj was also affected by the political relations between the two countries. According to ISNA, after this political tension, Saudi Arabia was unwilling to respond to Iran's demands regarding the visa issuance location, security provision, and 20 proposals presented in a letter. According to this news agency, Saudi Arabia 'even left a contract it had prepared unilaterally unsigned, thus depriving Iranian pilgrims of last year's Hajj.' Nevertheless, Ali Qazi Askar stated that 'the claim that some say we will not have Hajj this year is not correct; decisions in this area are concentrated and made with respect to the dignity and interests of the people.' Mr. Qazi Askar added that 'we also did not want the Hajj to be canceled last year, and if the demands of the dispatched delegation had been considered and accepted, Iranian pilgrims would certainly have participated in the Hajj.' In this context, Iran confirmed receiving an invitation from Saudi Arabia for next year's Hajj ceremony.