Saudis investigate Mina stampede
Since the deadly Mina incident, Iranian officials have been criticizing Saudi Arabia for its mismanagement of hajj affairs and its approach that seems focused on containing Muslim anger and avoiding a direct confrontation with Iran.
Accusations of negligence and rumors of sabotage abound over who is responsible for the hajj stampede Sept. 23 that killed hundreds and injured nearly 1,000 in the Mina district of Mecca.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promised a harsh and violent response to Saudi Arabia in the event that Iranian pilgrims were subjected to any abuse or disrespect during the hajj, or if the bodies of Iranian victims of the Mina disaster are not returned. He spoke Sept. 30 at the Naval Academy graduation ceremony in Noshahr.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said he holds the Saudi government accountable. In his Sept. 27 speech before a gathering of Iranians residing in New York, he demanded Saudi officials provide answers to all the questions surrounding the Mina incident. The stampede claimed the lives of more than 700 pilgrims and injured more than 900 others of various nationalities on the first day of Eid al-Adha, as pilgrims headed to the Jamarat area to throw pebbles.
Ibrahim Raisi, Iran's prosecutor general, said in a Sept. 27 interview with Lebanese TV station Al-Mayadeen, “We will prosecute the house of Saud in international forums for the crime they committed against the pilgrims.”
