TEHRAN – Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Owhadi said on Saturday that Iran will do its utmost to follow up on the rights of the Mina crush victims, IRNA reported.

Addressing the first commemoration service for the Gilani martyrs of the incident in the Grand Mosalla of Tehran, Owhadi said that the Islamic Republic will pursue the stampede case through legal and political channels.

Thousands of people, including more than 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives in the stampede in Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2015.

The disastrous incident took place when two roads filled with masses of pilgrims converged during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat.

“As the Supreme Leader had advised, the Mina tragedy must not fade into oblivion and the death of the martyrs of this disaster must be commemorated, because this shows how innocent those martyrs were,” Owhadi explained.

“As we are nearing the anniversary of that tragedy, we’re beginning to feel how it felt like when we lost our loved ones. The sad memories of that incident are still haunting us,” Owhadi said.

He further said that the Mina disaster occurred due to the Saudis’ mismanagement and incompetence, adding that the Iranian people will never forget the tragedy nor forgive who was responsible for it.

The Saudis committed great crimes with their mismanagement and this must not go unnoticed, Owhadi remarked.

The official death toll from the government of Saudi Arabia remains unchanged since two days after the event, with 769 reported killed and 934 others injured.

This is while based on the total of the individual national reports, at least 2,431 people were killed in the incident.

Iran cancelled dispatching pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year since the monarchy failed to assure the safety of Hajj pilgrims.

MH/PA