CAIRO: Arab foreign ministers weighed in Thursday on a bitter dispute between Tehran and Riyadh over the Haj pilgrimage, after Iran's supreme leader questioned Saudi Arabia's management of Islam's holiest site.

“The council of Arab foreign ministers condemns the bellicose, inciting statements by the supreme leader, (Ali) Khamenei,” the ministers said in a statement after a meeting in Cairo where the Arab League is based.

“The language used in (Khamenei's) statements is inappropriate for the highest authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” they said.

Iranians have been blocked from attending the pilgrimage to Makkah that starts on Saturday, after talks on logistics to avoid a repeat of last year's deadly stampede in the holy city foundered.

The stampede killed 2,300 pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians.

Khamenei on Monday denounced the “incompetence” of the Saudi royal family as he met with families of victims of last year's stampede.

“This incident proves once again that this cursed, evil family does not deserve to be in charge and manage the holy sites,” located in western Saudi Arabia, Khamenei said.

Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, has also waded in, telling the Makkah daily on Tuesday: “We must understand these are not Muslims, they are children of Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one.” The reference to the Zoroastrian religion that prevailed in Iran before Islam.

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were already tense before the regional rivals started trading caustic remarks ahead of the annual pilgrimage.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...