Iranian FM stresses importance of ties with Saudi Arabia despite recent cleric arrest PHOTO

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to preserving strong ties with Riyadh, despite recent tensions arising from the arrest of an Iranian cleric, Gholamreza Ghasemian, during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Highlighting the strategic weight of Saudi Arabia in Iran’s regional diplomacy, Araghchi said: “Tehran won’t allow any harm to its brotherly relations with Riyadh.”  

Addressing the cleric’s detention, the Iranian diplomat said he has been in close contact with Tehran’s representatives in Saudi Arabia, as well as with officials from the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, to ensure that the incident does not disrupt pilgrimage operations, Caliber.Az reports per Iranian media.

                         Gholamreza Ghasemian, an Iranian cleric close to Khamenei’s office

“We are quite serious about the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Our policy of neighborliness that has already come into force is a very important policy. Saudi Arabia has a very significant place in this policy,” Araghchi noted.

He went on to stress that the Islamic Republic remains determined to safeguard the spirit of cooperation with Riyadh: “Iran will maintain its ‘brotherly relations’ with Saudi Arabia and won’t allow any disruption to the bilateral ties.”

To recall, on May 27, a senior Iranian cleric affiliated with the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was arrested in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj pilgrimage after publishing a video critical of the kingdom’s religious and cultural policies, according to Iranian state media.

Gholamreza Ghasemian, a conservative religious scholar and a former head of Iran’s parliamentary library and documentation centre, was detained in the city of Medina while performing Hajj rituals, the reports said.

In a video posted before his arrest, Ghasemian criticised Saudi Arabia, accusing it of transforming the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina into destinations for entertainment and commercialisation.

He also described conditions for pilgrims as highly restrictive, alleging that Saudi authorities prevent worshippers from engaging deeply with Islamic teachings during Hajj.

Today, May 29, the Saudi government announced that it had freed the arrested Iranian cleric.

By Khagan Isayev