Iran denounces Saudi Arabia over haj and demands apology
Iran demanded an apology from Saudi Arabia on September 27 over the deaths of 769 people at the haj pilgrimage and accused it of trying to evade blame, while Riyadh in turn accused Tehran of playing politics with the disaster.
At least 155 Iranian pilgrims died in the crush of pilgrims on September 24 near Mecca and 300 other Iranians remain unaccounted for. Iranian officials say that, three days after the incident, they suspect most of the missing are dead too.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Muslim countries should demand Saudi Arabia be held to account for the deaths. The kingdom presents itself as the guardian of Islamic orthodoxy and custodian of its holiest places in Mecca and Medina.
"Instead of blaming this and that, the Saudis should accept the responsibility and apologize to the Muslims and the victims' families," Khamenei was quoted as saying on his own website.
"The Islamic world has a lot of questions. The death of more than 1,000 people is not a small issue. Muslim countries should focus on this," Khamenei said.
Other Iranian officials have also alleged the total death toll is more than 1,000. Khamenei ordered the bodies of the Iranian victims to be buried in martyrs' cemeteries.
Iranian MPs blamed Saudi Arabia for "their mismanagement and incompetence".
"The Iranian government should follow up this case in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and ask for shared management of the holy sites in Mecca and Medina during haj," lawmakers said in a statement published by Fars news agency.
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, chanting "down with the United States and Saudi Arabia." They were watched by a large contingent of police.
September 24's disaster, the worst to befall the haj in 25 years, happened when two large groups of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, on their way to perform the "stoning of the devil" ritual at Jamarat.