Thousands Demonstrate in Iran Against Saudi Arabia Ahead of Hajj Ceremony

Thousands of people protested against Saudi Arabia in various cities across Iran after Friday prayers on September 9, chanting strong slogans against the leaders of the country ahead of the Hajj ceremony. Iranian pilgrims are absent from this year's Hajj due to severe tensions between Tehran and Riyadh over regional issues. The protests on Friday mark a new escalation in the verbal and propaganda war between the two countries. According to reports, protesters in Tehran held placards depicting King Salman of Saudi Arabia with a bloodied sword or with his head covered by the American flag. In another placard, he was shown wearing a shirt with the Star of David similar to that on the Israeli flag. Another placard depicted King Salman as a puppet being manipulated by a hand covered in the American flag. Protesters in Tehran shouted slogans such as 'Death to the treacherous Al Saud,' 'Death to the reactionaries of the region,' and 'Death to Al Khalifa.' Some protesters wore the Ihram clothing. In a concluding statement, the protesters in Tehran noted that similar rallies against Saudi Arabia were held in 850 locations across Iran. Other slogans included: 'Al Saud is the family of Abu Sufyan, the Mina disaster is proof of that,' 'The security of the pilgrims of God's house is in danger, why in Mina?' and 'Saudi commits crimes, America supports it.' Some protesters held images of Sheikh Isa Qassim, a prominent Shia cleric from Bahrain who has been stripped of his citizenship by the Manama government. Images released by ISNA showed a group of students participating in the rally wearing martial arts uniforms. Some individuals known as 'velvet hats' were also present at the protest. The Associated Press reported the opinion of an Iranian protester who stated, 'We have no problem with the people of Saudi Arabia. They are Sunni and our brothers. But the Al Saud family is a puppet of Britain and America. They are waging proxy wars against Shia and all Muslims.' Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia escalated last December after Riyadh executed a prominent Shia cleric named Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr on terrorism charges. Following this incident, dozens of Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad. This incident led to a severing of relations between the two countries and the beginning of a severe verbal war between officials in Tehran and Riyadh that continues to this day. Prior to this, an incident during last year's Hajj that resulted in the deaths of several hundred people in Mina also angered Iran, which had the highest number of casualties among the dead. The Associated Press states that based on estimates, 2,426 people died in the Mina incident caused by being trampled by pilgrims, with 464 of them being Iranian. Saudi Arabia has only acknowledged the deaths of 769 people and added that 934 were injured. Riyadh has yet to release any reports on possible investigations into this matter. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, in a strongly worded message on the occasion of the annual Hajj ceremony, accused Saudi officials of killing the injured from the Mina incident, stating that 'the cruel-hearted and criminal' Saudis 'imprisoned the half-dead injured with the dead in closed containers and instead of providing treatment and help or even giving water to their thirsty lips, they caused them to be martyred.' He also called for the administration of the holy cities of Muslims in Saudi Arabia, known as the 'Two Holy Shrines,' to be managed by an independent body from the Riyadh government. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia responded to these remarks by stating that Iranians are not Muslims and have a long-standing animosity towards Sunnis.