Saudi Ministry Mulling Increase in Iran’s Hajj Quota
Tawfiq Al Rabiah revealed the news in a meeting with Seyed Sadeq Hosseini, head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, in Jeddah.
According to previous quota announced by Saudi officials, 39,635 Iranian pilgrims are set to take part in this year’s Hajj. Due to the long waiting list of pilgrims in Iran, Iranian officials have already asked for an increase in the capacity.
Due to the cancelation of departure of pilgrims from a number of countries and also because some states do not intend to use their quota, the ministry will study an increase in Iran’s quota, Al Rabiah said.
Hosseini, for his part, hoped that Hajj diplomacy can help the two countries resolve bilateral political issues.
He also expressed hope that with the assistant of the Saudi side, Iranians could soon resume Umrah pilgrimage.
Noting that some 1.2 million people inside Iran are waiting to go to Hajj pilgrimage, Hosseini asked the Saudi official to facilitate boosting the capacity.
Complaining about the increasing costs of services this year, the Iranian official called for Saudi authorities’ support to lighten the financial burden.
The Saudi minister named the growth of global costs and the holding of Hajj pilgrimage with limited capacity as the main reason behind rising costs, adding that the Saudi government has set a limit for the maximum price of services to help pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia has announced that it will receive foreign pilgrims for Hajj this year after two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
