Saudi Arabia Launches 24-Hour Hajj Channel in Persian

On Sunday, September 11, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a Persian-language television channel dedicated to Hajj, aimed at Persian speakers around the world, estimated to number around 130 million. This launch comes at a time when Iranian citizens were unable to participate in this year's Hajj due to tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. However, according to Saudi officials, some Iranians managed to obtain visas and participate in this year's Hajj from countries other than Iran. The official Saudi news agency (SPA) reported that the Persian-language Hajj channel officially began broadcasting from the official television center in Mecca on Saturday evening, September 10. Adel bin Zaid Al-Turaifi, Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, stated to SPA that the purpose of launching this channel is to convey the message of Hajj and the enduring meanings of Islam to Persian-speaking pilgrims and visitors worldwide. Al-Turaifi added that this channel will broadcast programs 24 hours a day, covering Hajj ceremonies and live broadcasting of all prayers at the Grand Mosque. SPA further reported that the official broadcast of the Persian Hajj channel began at 6 PM on September 10 and will continue until 6 PM on September 25. According to this report, a team of 60 people is working at this television channel. Amid ongoing disputes between the two countries, Tehran and Riyadh failed to reach an agreement on the Hajj regulatory protocol, which is why Iranian pilgrims were unable to perform their rituals this year. The Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization stated that due to 'obstruction' by the Saudi government, Iranian pilgrims could not participate in this year's Hajj. Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, claim that Saudi Arabia did not allow Iranians to perform Hajj rituals. However, Saudi officials accuse Iran of preventing its citizens from traveling to participate in Hajj. In contrast, Riyadh holds Tehran responsible for the absence of Iranians at the Hajj. According to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization delegation refused to sign the Hajj regulatory protocol that all countries sign. Last year, during a Hajj incident, several hundred pilgrims, most of whom were Iranian, were killed in Mina, which sparked outrage in Iran. The Associated Press reports that estimates indicate 2,426 people died in the Mina incident, which was caused by overcrowding. Of this number, 464 were Iranian. Saudi Arabia has only acknowledged the deaths of 769 people and added that 934 were injured. Riyadh has not yet released any reports on potential investigations into this matter. Following this, in January of last year, Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shia cleric named Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr on terrorism charges, which intensified tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. Following this action, dozens of Iranian protesters attacked and set fire to the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad. This incident led Saudi Arabia and several of its allies to sever relations with Iran, while some reduced their level of relations with Tehran.