Iranian Official Due in Saudi Arabia for Talks on Hajj
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hosseini said the first round of negotiations with Saudi Arabia was held via video conference some three weeks ago at the level of the deputies of the organizations and the Saudi Hajj and Umrah ministry.
He said the next round of talks will be in person, noting that he will visit the Arab country on January 7 at the invitation of the Saudi Hajj ministry.
Hosseini said the Islamic Republic expects a rise in the Hajj quota for Iranians.
Noting that according to an approval of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, one percent of each Muslim country’s population can take part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, he said that it is thus predicted that the Hajj quota for Iranian pilgrims will be around 90,000 this year.
According to the official, some 1.1 million Iranians are on a waiting list to take part in Hajj.
He said the preparations for participation in this year’s Hajj are underway and works related to renting hotels in Mecca and Medina began last week.
Some 39,600 Iranians took part in the 2022 Hajj, which was held in July after two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that every able-bodied and financially able Muslim is obliged to undertake at least once during their lifetime.
As for resumption of Umrah trips for Iranians, Hosseini said Iran has always been pursuing the case and has sent letters to the Saudi Hajj and Umrah ministry in this regard over the past two months but has not received an answer yet.
Figures show some 5.8 million Iranians are on a waiting list for travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
They have been waiting for years for their turn.
Iran stopped sending Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia after two Iranian teenage boys were harassed in an airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah in March 2015.
Until then, Iran sent between 600,000 and 800,000 pilgrims to the kingdom for Umrah every year.
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