Thousands of Iranians reach Saudi Arabia for Hajj despite war

{"text":[[{"start":10,"text":"Nearly 30,000 Iranians have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage that started this week despite the recent exchanges of missiles between the two countries after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. "}],[{"start":23.25,"text":"Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure, civilian sites and military bases since the start of the war in late February."}],[{"start":34.7,"text":"Saudi Arabia in turn launched multiple strikes against Iran in retaliation for the attacks, although Riyadh communicated to Tehran that it was not taking part in the broader US-Israeli military campaign. "}],[{"start":46.400000000000006,"text":"Saudi Arabia has also supported mediation efforts to end the war, and both Riyadh and Tehran have signalled a desire to reduce the tensions between the two countries."}],[{"start":56.50000000000001,"text":"As the first wave of Iranian pilgrims arrived in the kingdom last month, Iran’s ambassador Alireza Enayti told Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that they appreciated Saudi efforts to serve the pilgrims and said “everyone is committed to observe the spirit of Hajj and the regulations” of the country."}],[{"start":77.85000000000001,"text":"Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, the Saudi interior minister, also held talks with Alireza Rashidian, head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation, before the start of the pilgrimage."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":91.05000000000001,"text":"The cordial tone appears to reflect an attempt by both countries to maintain open channels of communication despite the recent war, with the top diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran exchanging phone calls several times, most recently last Saturday."}],[{"start":106.80000000000001,"text":"About 1.5mn pilgrims have arrived from outside the kingdom for the Hajj even as concerns persist about a resumption of the three-month conflict. "}],[{"start":116.00000000000001,"text":"American forces carried out strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, but there have been no military exchanges between Iran and Saudi Arabia in recent days; earlier this month the Saudi defence ministry said it had intercepted three drones after they entered the kingdom’s territory from Iraqi airspace."}],[{"start":136.05,"text":"“Iran has a history of disrupting the Hajj through use of its pilgrims which makes the Saudi decision to welcome tens of thousands of Iranians all the more extraordinary,” said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute."}],[{"start":151.10000000000002,"text":"“We will have to see if the Iranians reciprocate and if the US heeds Saudi warnings to avoid escalation.”"}],[{"start":157.95000000000002,"text":"Hajj is considered the fifth of Islam’s five “pillars” and it is mandatory for all adult Muslims to make the journey at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able. The number of pilgrims from each country is determined by a quota system."}],[{"start":174.45000000000002,"text":"Nearly 30,000 Iranian pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia on 131 flights this year, according to Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation. That is roughly one-third of the country’s quota of 86,000."}],[{"start":188.65,"text":"Iranian officials attributed the shortfall to the outbreak of war in the region and restrictions caused by US sanctions on fund transfers, which prevented more than 50,000 pilgrims from making the journey this year."}],[{"start":200.3,"text":"Saudi Arabia’s government and population take special pride in hosting Muslim pilgrims from around the world who come to visit the holy sites in Mecca and Medina. The kingdom’s monarchs have used the official title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” since 1986."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":217.25,"text":"However, there have long been disagreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran over politics and religion in general and the handling of the Hajj in particular, some of which have culminated in bloodshed and boycotts."}],[{"start":228.4,"text":"The Iranian leadership has historically viewed Hajj as a political platform to oppose what it calls “arrogant powers”, notably the US, and as a prime opportunity to voice opposition to Israel and mobilise support for the Palestinian people."}],[{"start":242.5,"text":"Iranian pilgrims, following the symbolic ritual of “disavowal of polytheists” established by Ayatollah Khomeini decades ago, carry placards and chant political slogans. This practice has long been a source of friction with Saudi authorities, which forbid political activities and insist that Hajj remain a purely religious experience."}],[{"start":260.95,"text":"That Saudi position was reiterated by the kingdom’s public security chief Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Bassami who said last week that the authorities “firmly oppose any attempt to politicise Hajj, compromise the security of pilgrims, or disrupt their performance of the rituals”, according to local media."}],[{"start":279.3,"text":"Back in 1987, Saudi security forces clashed with Iranian pilgrims staging anti-US protests in Mecca, an incident that Iranian officials say left 325 Iranian pilgrims dead. In response, crowds of Iranians attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":296.90000000000003,"text":"Nearly 30 years later, in 2016, Iran boycotted Hajj following a deadly stampede in Mina the previous year that killed hundreds of pilgrims, many of them Iranian. The country’s leaders accused Saudi authorities of failing to guarantee the safety of pilgrims. The Saudis rejected the accusation and said Iran was attempting to convert Hajj into a “political demonstration”."}],[{"start":320.90000000000003,"text":"The boycott decision came after Saudi Arabia executed a firebrand Shia cleric earlier that year, which led to Iranian protesters attacking Saudi diplomatic missions, yet again resulting in a severance of diplomatic ties. "}],[{"start":335.3,"text":"Tensions were markedly reduced after China brokered an agreement in 2023 that restored relations between the kingdom and the Islamic republic. Since then, Iranian pilgrims have regularly travelled to Mecca and Medina via direct flights. "}],[{"start":350.25,"text":"“Saudi Arabia is trying to project an image of maturity, stability and statecraft: the actor behaving with composure while others escalate,” said HA Hellyer, an expert in geopolitics and Middle East studies at the Royal United Services Institute and the Center for American Progress."}],[{"start":366.9,"text":"“Mecca and Medina are simply too sacred, and too central to the global Muslim consciousness, to be drawn into geopolitical retaliation. Riyadh would be extraordinarily reluctant to restrict Iranian access to the hajj absent a clear and specific security threat.”"}],[{"start":391.29999999999995,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779875137_2006.mp3"}