BAGHDAD – More than a million Iranian pilgrims have crossed the Iraqi borders in the last few hours, headed to Kerbala to celebrate the Hajj rite. The exceptional turnout is the consequence of the clash between Riyadh and Tehran and after the Iranian authorities have ‘forbidden’ the faithful of their own country to go to Mecca , in Saudi Arabia, because of the political contrasts that arose between the two countries.
The new destination, therefore, is the holy Shiite city of Kerbala, in southern Iraq, while in Saudi Arabia the arrival of foreign pilgrims to Mecca for pilgrim rites ending on September 12 is over.

High voltage. In recent days, Iranian President Hassan Rohani in Parliament had declared that “the Muslim world and the countries of the Middle East region must undertake joint efforts to solve the problems caused by the Saudi government and punish it for the crimes it has committed”. And Riyadh added another crime to the list of previous ones, preventing this year from carrying out the Muslim ritual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Iranian citizens, said Rohani. The Iranian president also intervened on the tragedy that occurred last year during the Hajj, in which 464 Iranians died, stating that the government will continue its efforts, through legal and political channels, to follow the case of Mina’s “martyrs” .

Diplomatic clash. Rohani also recalled how the Hajj period must be considered as a possibility to safeguard the interests of the Muslim community and promote unity within it, “while Hajj rituals are used as an opportunity to hurt the dignity of Muslims”. The Iranian president added that “those who have gained fame and money from the management of the holy places must realize that their real commitment is to guarantee the safety of pilgrims”. The diplomatic clash between Riyadh and Tehran over the Hajj issue has been going on for several months, particularly since May when Iranian pilgrims were prevented from going to Mecca for security issues. However,

Exchange of charges. Earlier, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al Jubeir, accused Iran of “wanting to politicize the pilgrimage to Mecca to divert public opinion from its internal problems”. Speaking last night with journalists from the Saudi press from his country’s embassy in London, where he is visiting, al Jubeir explained that “we offered to host Iranian pilgrims, but Tehran refused, preferring to politicize the issue “. According to the head of Saudi diplomacy “the words of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the pilgrimage matter are just an attempt to divert the attention of Iranians to other problems than to internal ones”. In addition, Jubeir noted that “nuclear program , since then has continued to spread sectarian violence in the Middle East region. ”

The criticism of Khamenei. The supreme leader of the Iranian Islamic revolution, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has harshly criticized the Saudi leaders for having prevented the entry of Iran’s faithful into Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage and invited them to reconsider the management of the holy places of Iran. Islam. “The Muslim world – Khamenei said – just like the governments and its peoples, must know the Saudi leaders and their irreverent, disbelieving and subordinate nature”. Khamenei then urged Muslims to “seriously reflect on the management of holy places. Otherwise – the Ayatollah warned – the Muslim world will face greater problems”. The Iranian leader, who has the last word in the country’s main domestic and foreign policy issues,

The clash. In 2015, around 64,000 Iranian pilgrims went to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Hajj celebrations. However, last year’s pilgrimage was marked by the tragedy of Mina , where over two thousand people, including 464 Iranians, lost their lives due to organizational problems. Saudi Arabia then broke off its relations with Iran in January, accusing it of supporting terrorism after the execution of the Shiite leader Nimr al-Nimr and other 46 ‘terrorists’ and the assault by a group of civilians, at the Saudi embassy in Tehran.