29 Mar 2024
Tuesday 6 October 2015 - 15:25
Story Code : 183322

Mina Crush; sign of Iran-Saudi Arabia continued tension?

Tehran, October 6, The Iran Project The Thursday's deadly stampede is the worst incident in Mecca in a quarter century. The string of tragedies both in Mecca's Masjid-al-Haram and in Mina in the outskirts of Mecca cast serious doubt on the Saudis' competence and management.

Amid the increasing questions and skepticisms, there are those who see the incident as intentional and those who consider it accidental. However, given that the Saudi family has the monopoly on every single aspect of the pilgrimage ritual, almost everyone agrees that the Saudi government role in pilgrims' safety, as a politically sensitive issue, is highly remarkable.

Iran stances


In the wake of the Mina fatal event, it was no surprise that the Islamic Republic, as the most afflicted nation, investigated the case, using its capacities to handle the victims' affairs and to ensure the safety of its nationals particularly after the earlier tragedy in Mecca Mosque. It accused Saudi Arabia of negligence and mismanagement concerning the implementation of the required safety measures, demanding an apology from Riyadh government.

Tehran authorities repeatedly urged Riyadh to hold formal inquiry with the Muslim nations' involvement to ease the investigation of the disaster causes and also to provide help to the pilgrims in need.

Regarding the victims affairs, Iran made many efforts to resolve the issues through diplomatic means. The government constantly asked Saudi Arabia to cooperate with Iranian representatives and agents in Mecca to speed up the identification of the dead and to supply more efficient assistance to the injured.

However, Saudis denied the request despite the international customary law regulations. This was why the Iran UN delegation asked the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, to mediate on the issue.

Saudi Arabia Stances

Saudi authorities primarily apportioned blame to the pilgrims, saying some of them ignored to follow the instructions.However, amid the pressure from the Muslims nations, king Salman acknowledged the need to improve the level of organization and management of movement of pilgrims.

The Saudi government saw Irans reaction to the catastrophe in Mina as politicized, arguing that Iran is exploiting it for political reasons. Al-Azhar University as the most prominent Sunni institution called Tehran's positions as "outcry" and "subversive voice".Part of the Arab world also denounced Irans "rash claims of negligence."

With the incident of a crane collapse in Mecca Masjid-al-Haram just a few weeks earlier, the Saudi government was expected to implement more effective security measures. As the failures teach us the valuable lessons, why Riyadh didn't manage to prevent another bitter incident?

Apart from the accusations that both countries have thrown each other, the reality is that whatever the crisis, managing it effectively is crucial to minimize the damage. This is an issue in which the Saudi authorities fell far short of expectations; otherwise the number of victims would be far less.

Given the lack of transparency on the part of Saudis and the dramatic rise of Iran's death toll, it was no wonder that Iran widely publicized the case so that make the Saudi government cooperate.

Ultimately, at such a time whenthe Middle East is on fire, no party would take advantage of more conflict. Thus, in plain language, as the diplomacy and reason always prevailed, two countries should not let this catastrophic incident deepens the current disputes.

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