Saudi Arabia must be accountable for deadly hajj disaster in Mina: Iran’s Deputy FM

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“Saudi Arabia should be answerable to the Islamic Republic [of Iran] and other countries that could not perform a calm Hajj [ritual],” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday.

According to Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization more than 1,300 people, including 125 Iranians, were killed in a crush during Hajj pilgrimage rituals outside Mecca earlier in the day. This as Saudi officials put the death toll at 717 and the number of injured at 863.

He also said that the fatal crush started after Saudi security forces blocked two streets while the pilgrims were walking towards the final ritual of the Hajj. 

“We can by no means remain indifferent towards Saudi Arabia’s irresponsible behavior,” said Amir-Abdollahian, adding, “The tactlessness on the part of relevant Saudi authorities to provide security for the pilgrims cannot be overlooked.”

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia’s charge d’affaires to Tehran was summoned to Iran’s Foreign Ministry to hear the Islamic Republic’s protest over the mishandling of the deadly incident by Saudi authorities. 

For his part, the Saudi diplomat expressed regret over the fatal incident and offered condolences to the Iranian government and the families of the killed pilgrims.  

Earlier on Thursday, Amir-A

bdollahian held the Saudi authorities responsible for Thursday’s tragedy, and said they should promptly act to manage the crisis.

Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri laid the blame on the Saudi government for the tragic incident, saying “the consequences of any negligence” falls upon the Saudi government.

According to Saudi disaster officials, the incident occurred in Mina, near Mecca, on Thursday after two large masses of pilgrims coming down streets 204 and 223 fused together.

The tragedy came days after a massive construction crane collapsed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 people and leaving over 200 others injured.

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Al-Diyar: Convoy of Saudi Prince Caused Hajj Disaster

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The Arabic-language daily al-Diyar said in a report on Thursday that the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud played a central role in the deadly crush on the third day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage earlier in the day.

The report said that Salman, who had sought to attend the huge gathering of pilgrims in Mina, a large valley about five kilometers (three miles) from Mecca, arrived at the site early on Thursday accompanied by a huge entourage.

The report said 200 army forces and 150 police officers escorted the prince.

The report said the presence of the prince in the middle of the population prompted a change in the direction of the movement of the pilgrims and a stampede.

The Lebanese daily further said that Salman and his entourage swiftly abandoned the scene, adding that the Saudi authorities seek to hush up the entire story and impose a media blackout on Salman’s presence in the area.

However, officials in Saudi Arabia have denied the report, calling it “incorrect.” The Saudi health minister has blamed the pilgrims for the tragedy. “If the pilgrims had followed instructions, this type of accident could have been avoided,” Khaled al-Falih said.  

According to Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization more than 1,300 people, including 125 Iranians, were killed in the crush. This as Saudi officials put the death toll at 717 and the number of injured at 863.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has declared three days of national mourning following the incident while urging the Saudi government to “shoulder its heavy responsibility” in the stampede and “meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness.”

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia should be held accountable over the death of the pilgrims. He said that the fatal crush started after Saudi security forces blocked two streets while the pilgrims were walking towards the final ritual of the Hajj.

“We can by no means remain indifferent towards Saudi Arabia’s irresponsible behavior,” said Amir-Abdollahian, adding, “The tactlessness on the part of relevant Saudi authorities to provide security for the pilgrims cannot be overlooked.”

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Top Commander: Iranian Forces to Turn ISIL Terrorists into Ashes before Reaching Borders

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Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili highlighted the country’s military might, saying that the armed forces are able to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group before they can even cross the borders into Iran.

“Rest assured that the peace-loving people of Iran and the world do not value ISIL or any other (terrorist) group as much as a termite,” Brigadier General Esmaeili told reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of military parades in Tehran, held to commemorate the start of the Sacred Defense Week.

In case of any wrong move by the terrorist group, they will be “turned into ashes” before reaching the Iranian borders, he said, adding, “We will bring them hell.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the commander hailed the Iranian airspace as the most secure in the Middle East region, saying that the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base has managed to realize the safest airspace of the region, which is unprecedented in the last 70 years.

Different units representing the Army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Law Enforcement (police), and the Defense Ministry took part in the military parades at the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, south of Tehran on Tuesday.

In Iran, the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war is known as the Sacred Defense, and the Sacred Defense Week is held on the anniversary of the beginning of the war.

Every year, the Sacred Defense Week begins on Shahrivar 31 in the Iranian calendar (September 22 this year), which is the day Iraq invaded Iran and began the imposed war on the country in 1980.

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Syria: Zabadani ceasefire to continue till final agreement reached

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency – A cease-fire agreement covering the Syrian border town of Zabadani and two villages in the northern Idleb province between Hezbollah and the Syrian army on one side, and terrorist groups on the other, was extended Tuesday until reaching an agreement.

The truce would continue until a final agreement was reached on the status of militants and civilians in Kefraya and Foua towns.
It is the third cease-fire to cover these areas in around a month, Al-Manar TV reported.

The cease-fire, which went into effect at mid-Sunday covers also the villages of Madaya and Baqin, which are adjacent to Zabadani.

Hezbollah and Syrian forces have tightened the noose around terrorists in Zabadani and Idleb province. The operation began in early July and is seen as an attempt to bolster control of land routes between Lebanon and Syria and sever rebel supply lines.

Zabadani is located 50 kilometers northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing.

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22-year-old Palestinian youth shot martyred by Israeli forces / Pics

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency – 22-year-old Dhiaa Abdul Halim al-Talahma was shot dead  at dawn Tuesday by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in al-Khalil’s town of Dura, in the southern West Bank.

A PIC journalist quoted the casualty’s family as stating that the Israeli occupation troops shot Dhiaa with live ammunition in his head at the Kharsa crossroads.

Dhiaa kept bleeding for long hours as the IOF prevented the ambulance crews from reaching him.

Dhiaa was later handed dead to the ambulance personnel.

Paramedics found out that his hand was amputated and that he sustained several deadly bullet injuries in his head.

Sources in the Red Cross said rescue staff who rushed to the scene were denied access into the area by the occupation officers.









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717 people crushed to death during hajj pilgrimage

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At least 717 people have been killed and nearly 805 others injured in a crush during Hajj pilgrimage rituals outside Mecca.

According to Saudi disaster officials, the incident occurred in Mina, near Mecca, at 9 am local time (0600 GMT) after two large masses of pilgrims coming down streets 204 and 223 fused together.

The incident took place as people were heading to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan.

Over 220 ambulances and 4,000 rescue workers have reportedly been sent to the location.

“Work is underway to separate large groups of people and direct pilgrims to alternative routes,” the Saudi Civil Defense said.

Iranians among the dead

Meanwhile, Sa’eed Ohadi, the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, has said that at least 103 Iranians have been killed and 150 others wounded in the crush.

Separately, an Iranian deputy foreign minister has announced that a special commission has been set up by the Islamic Republic to follow up on the case of the Iranian pilgrims in Mina.

Saudi authorities responsible 

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, said the Iranian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Consulate and all other relevant organizations are actively working to determine the fate of the Iranian victims of the Thursday incident.

Amir-Abdollahian held the Saudi authorities responsible for the deadly incident, and said they should promptly act to manage the crisis.

“The imprudence on the part of relevant Saudi authorities to provide security for the pilgrims cannot be ignored,” he said.

Some two million people are currently in Mecca for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

Some 360 pilgrims lost their lives during the same ritual in Mina back in January 2006

This comes days after a massive construction crane collapsed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 people and leaving over 200 others wounded.

Separately, on September 21, a fire at a 15-story hotel in Mecca forced the evacuation of some 1,500 people. A fire also broke out at another hotel in the city days earlier, which left a number of foreigners injured.

ISIS element beheads his leader because of harassing his wife

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A local source in Salahuddin province announced on Wednesday, that an element belonging to ISIS beheaded his leader because of harassing his wife in the area of Sharqat district in Salah AL-Dien.

The source said that “One of ISIS elements, 28-year-old, Iraqi national, beheaded his leader near his home in the area of Sharqat in northern Salahuddin.”

The source, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “The cause of the incident is attributed to the harassment of the leader to his wife during his absence,” pointing out that “the organization has issued urgent orders to catch the offender either alive or dead and to deliver him to one of its headquarters in Sharqat district.”

ISIS has controlled Sharqat district since June last year, and it is considered one of its most prominent strongholds in Salah al-Din Province.

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Deadly Blast Hits Mosque in Yemen Killing at Least 25 During Eid Prayers

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A bomb attack targeting Shiite worshippers at a mosque in Yemen’s capital on Thursday killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens more during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, doctors said.

The blast happened in the Balili mosque where Houthis who control Sana’a go to pray, according to witnesses.

Witnesses reported that after a first blast inside the mosque, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at the entrance as worshippers rushed outside.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sana’a has been shaken by a string of bombings by the ISIL terrorist group in recent months targeting Shiite followers.

The attack comes as Saudi-led coalition has ramped up air strikes against the impoverished Yemen, which started in March in a bid to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of the Kingdom.

ISIL and the Yemen-based branch of its extremist rival al-Qaeda have exploited the turmoil to boost their activities in the impoverished country.

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Kerry remarks on Iran role in Syria not true: FM spokeswoman

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Spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry described the remarks made by the US Secretary of State John Kerry as against the realities of the Syrian crisis.

Commenting on Kerry’s remarks that Iran and Russia should play constructive role in solving the Syrian crisis, Marziyeh Afkham described the US official’s invitation of Iran to play constructive role in Syria as a kind of blame game and as contrary to realities regarding crisis in Syria.

It is not clear whether Kerry’s recent remarks are out of concern or aimed at realistic settlement of the crisis in Syria, Afkham made the remarks in an interview with reporters.

Since beginning of crisis in Syria, Iran believed that Syrian-Syrian talks as well as a political agreement are the only solution to that crisis, Afkham stressed.

What is happening in Syria now has proved the authenticity of such a belief, said she.

The solution to the Syrian crisis will have successful outcome only when it is based on realities and it respects the people’s demand, Afkham noted.

Any plan for the crisis will be doomed to failure, unless it focuses on serious fight with terrorist groups, Takfiris and extremists, Afkham said.

Afkham further referred to insisting on pre-conditions and following the US and its allies’ policies on the Syrian crisis as the issues that put hindrances to the settlement of that crisis.

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Senior Cleric: America is enemy of Muslim world

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Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami led the Eid al-Adha prayers and touched upon JCPOA at the sermon afterward.

One of the most significant festivals on the Muslim calendar, the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) was celebrated by Iranians across the country.

The prayers of the Eid al-Adha is one of the rituals of the day which was held early in the morning in mosques, Musallas and open grounds on Thursday in all Iranian cities.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami led the Eid al-Adha prayers held in Tehran with flocks of people and high-profile officials of the country in attendance.

Noting the start of educational year in Iran, the cleric urged focus on academic endevours in unversities across the nation as he called political activities of parties in campuses unnecessary.

Rapping the “Israeli regime” for “insult” on Al-Aqsa mosque, the Grand Ayatollah described Israeli soldiers and police forces treading on the holy place as ruthless and evil while nobody voiced protest against it in the Islamic worlds, as the US has involved the Mulim nations with ISIL and terrorism.

He highlighted Iran’s Leader putting emphasis on unity among Muslims as Al-Aqsa violaters took advatage of the disharmony among Muslims.

Reiterating the necessity of removal of sanctions after implementing the JCPOA, Ayatollah Khatami rejected the idea of suspension of the embargos.

He also notified the sensitivity of post-JCPOA events vis-a-vis the time before signing it as he called the American adminstration untrustworthy.

Khatami declined the interpretation that Iran-US relations are thawing as he stressed the all-out differences of policies of the two countries.

The senior cleric slammed those who heavily censure the Parliament’s Special Commission for JCPOA and called their move against the Constitusion.

He added that a country supporting terrorism, bringing up ISIL, and backing the “anti-Islam regime of Israel” would never be a friend of Iran.

He also warned Iranian officials to be weary of the US seeking to infiltrate in economic, political, and worse than all cultural system of the country.

He concluded that with all history of US measures against Iran, since the American backed 1953 Coup to topple democratically elected Mosadegh, Iranians would keep the grudge against the US.

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