Tehran, Iran, Oct. 6
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
An Iranian lawmaker has said in the recent Hajj tragedy Muslims of the world paid for internal conflicts within the Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrims were sacrificed while they were performing their Hajj rituals with much zeal and excitement, Hossein Garoosi, chairman of the Shahed parliamentary group which is involved in pursuing the affairs of martyrs and veterans, told Trend Oct. 6.
After the Hajj stampede of Sept. 24 in Mecca, Tehran has started a new wave of threats against Riyadh, much harsher than before. Tehran has implied that the tragedy wasn't mere incident, but that Saudi Arabia at least helped the severity of it by will.
There were all sorts of CCTVs and online equipment which would allow the security forces to spot the problem and handle it, the MP said, adding that help could have been extended to the victims from land and air, despite Saudi claims.
Commander of Iran 's Army Ground Force highlighted the country's military preparedness to show a tough and crushing reaction to Saudi Arabia after its mishandling of the Hajj pilgrimage claimed the lives of hundreds of Iranian Hajj pilgrims in a crush in Mina.
Secretary of Iran 's Supreme National Security Council and former Navy commander Ali Shamkhani called for the Saudi government's cooperation to find out the fate of the Iranian pilgrims who went missing after a tragic crush.
Before that, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said that the Saudi government would meet a harsh response from Iran if it disrespected Iranian pilgrims.
Garoosi also pointed to a barrage of Iranian official's threats against Saudi Arabia and said the Saudi government has in many occasions created problems for the Muslim world, therefore Iran cannot neglect all that.
"If we can someday condone Saddam Hussein, the Palestine, and the US, we will not condone Saudi Arabia," the MP quoted late leader Imam Khomeini as having said.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are in many disagreements over regional developments, including in Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia has also expanded its regional involvement in recent years as the country has become among the world's major arms importers. The kingdom is currently engaged in conflicts meant to counter Iran's perceived growing influence across the Middle East.
Edited by CN