Spokesman of the Ministry of Culture: The Hypothesis of Abduction of Missing Iranian Pilgrims Has Gained Strength

Hosseini Nooshabadi, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, announced that the hypothesis of the abduction of missing Iranian pilgrims and their transfer outside Saudi Arabia has gained strength. Mr. Nooshabadi described some of the missing individuals as 'prominent and influential figures.' According to Hosseini Nooshabadi, 'Despite efforts made through diplomatic channels and by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, the status of 36 missing Iranian pilgrims from the Mina incident remains unclear, and many ambiguities have arisen regarding them.' He also emphasized that 'the Saudi government rejects these hypotheses and has not accepted the issue of abduction and detention so far.' In the Mina incident in Saudi Arabia that occurred on the second of Mehr (September 24), 465 Iranians were killed due to the resulting crowd, but the fate of 36 Iranian pilgrims remains unknown. Among the missing Iranian pilgrims from the Mina incident are Ghazanfar Roknabadi, former Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, and Ali Asghar Fooladgar, deputy to Major General Rahim Safavi. The spokesman and parliamentary deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance emphasized in his conversation with Mehr News Agency that among the 36 missing in the Mina incident, in addition to some ordinary pilgrims, 'there are political, diplomatic figures, and Hajj officials.' Previously, Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, also considered the 'hypothesis of the abduction of Ghazanfar Roknabadi' during the Mina incident as a 'security hypothesis' worthy of investigation. According to Mr. Boroujerdi, Ghazanfar Roknabadi 'was alive during the Mina incident and was transferred to a hospital by a Saudi ambulance, but after that, there has been no credible news about his status.' Aladdin Boroujerdi emphasized in the same conversation with the House of the Nation News Agency: 'As long as the Saudi government cannot prove the hypothesis of Roknabadi's death, his abduction, as a security hypothesis, is strongly worthy of investigation.' Meanwhile, Ali Marashi, head of the Medical Center of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, reported the possibility that the missing Iranian pilgrims from the Mina incident may be buried in Saudi soil. Hosseini Nooshabadi, parliamentary deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, in another part of his conversation with Mehr stated: 'If these pilgrims have been abducted, it indicates a weakness in Saudi Arabia's intelligence and security system or their collaboration with foreign services.' This official of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance also deemed it 'unlikely' that Saudi officials were unaware of the entry of a foreign intelligence service into the country. Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, have repeatedly criticized and complained about the performance of the officials organizing the Hajj ceremonies in Saudi Arabia after the Mina incident. In this regard, Iran has formed a committee concerning the Iranian missing persons from the Mina incident. King Salman described the criticisms of the Hajj organization as 'irresponsible.' 29 of the Iranian victims of the Mina incident have been buried in Saudi Arabia, and the head of the Hajj Organization stated that more than 5,000 Mina victims have been buried in Mecca.