War in the Middle East: Iranian pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage to Mecca

Iranian pilgrims arrived by plane in Saudi Arabia to participate in the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage, as reported by the Al Arabiya television channel on Saturday, April 25. This information is based on the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, amid deteriorating relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the kingdom. Tehran has carried out multiple attacks against Gulf monarchies, accusing them of assisting the United States since the beginning of the war triggered on February 28 by Israeli-American strikes. A fragile ceasefire came into effect on April 8.

The participation of Iranians in the Hajj acts as a barometer of relations between Iran, a majority Shiite country, and Saudi Arabia, a majority Sunni country. For example, no Iranian pilgrim was authorized to visit Mecca for seven years, from 2016 to 2023. Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, in the northwest of the country, were attacked during demonstrations following the execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The two countries reestablished their relations in 2023 following a surprise agreement brokered through China.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke on the phone on April 9 with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, marking the first official contact between the two countries since the start of the war in the Middle East. Pilgrims from around the world have already begun to flock to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, which is expected to begin in the last week of May.