TEHRAN – Following months of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia about hajj, the two sides might be on the verge of reaching an agreement, ending what has become a source of discord between the two Middle-Eastern countries. 

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia was strained after thousands of people, many of them Iranians, died in a stampede at the 2015 hajj rituals, when two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat.

On Sunday, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri said Iran is determined to dispatch pilgrims to Hajj if Saudi Arabia accepted certain conditions, Mehr news agency reported.

“Provided that Saudi Arabia accepts Iran’s conditions, the government’s decisive policy is to dispatch [pilgrims] to hajj,” Salehi-Amiri told reporters.

Following the hajj stampede, Iranian authorities strongly criticized Saudi Arabia for being incompetent in managing hajj rituals, appealing to the Muslim world to hold Riyadh accountable for the tragedy.

As disagreements arose between Tehran and Riyadh, Iranian pilgrims did not participate in the latest hajj rituals – which were held months ago – when Saudi Arabia declined to guarantee their safety.

Salehi-Amiri further said that the two countries have had successful negotiations and reached agreements regarding some issues, adding that there still remains some issues that should be considered.

MH/PA