Hajj Best Opportunity to Foil Enemies’ Propaganda against Iran

Speaking at a Tuesday meeting with the senior officials in charge of dispatching Iranian nationals to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned about "an international and massive front” that has launched a propaganda campaign against the Islamic Republic.

"The way to counter this dangerous front is to enlighten (the public opinion) and to adopt an active and aggressive propagation approach,” the Leader said, adding that Hajj provides an opportunity for such a move.

"The Islamic Establishment has numerous capabilities to resist and attack this front and the opportunity provided by Hajj is the best… to connect with the people of the (Muslim) world and to foil the propaganda campaign of the other side,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

The Leader also said one of the Saudi government’s tricks against the Islamic Republic was to stop or limit Iran’s activities to connect with the Muslims participating in the Hajj.

Elsewhere, the Leader pointed to concerns over the security and dignity of Iranian nationals sent to Saudi Arabia during this year’s Hajj season and said, according to the Hajj officials, the pilgrims were mostly satisfied with the efforts to preserve their security, dignity, and respect.

More than 85,000 Iranians took part in this year’s Hajj in September.

Iran had announced in mid-March that applicants can go on Hajj pilgrimage this year following negotiations with Saudi officials after a hiatus in the wake of a diplomatic row with the kingdom.

In 2016, more than 1.8 million pilgrims attended Hajj, but Iranians stayed at home after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly crush of people during the 2015 pilgrimage.

On September 2, 2015, thousands of people lost their lives in the deadly crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.

The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage.

Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed, but officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 7,000 people, including over 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives.