Speaking on Wednesday morning at a ceremony held at Imam Khomeini Airport to see off the first group of Iranian Hajj pilgrims, the Leader's representative in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs, Hojjatoleslam Ali Qazi Asgar said: "Today, the World of Islam is in a sensitive and dangerous condition."
On Wednesday morning, the first group of the Iranian pilgrims departed for Medina, in western Saudi Arabia, for the annual Hajj. At the ceremony, Hojjatoleslam Qazi Asgar said the political disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia should not be made public in Mecca and Medina as the World of Islam is currently in a sensitive situation. Pilgrims should be vigilant all the time, the official noted.
He further said that about 86,000 Iranian pilgrims will perform major Hajj rituals this year. Commenting on the first group of pilgrims who left for Saudi Arabia this morning, the official said they numbered about 270 pilgrims. About 500 Iranian pilgrims were killed during a stampede in 2015 Hajj annual congregation when, according to reports, two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, on their way to performing the 'Stoning of the Devil' ritual at "Jamarat".
