Iranian Muslims performed the annual Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on Monday. Hajj has been banned for almost 10 years due to disagreements between Tehran and Riyadh.
“The first group of umrah pilgrims left Iran for Saudi Arabia through Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran,” the official IRNA news agency reported.
It was the first group of Iranians to make the hajj since Tehran and Riyadh decided last year to rebuild ties and open their respective embassies after more than nine years under a deal brokered by China.
Until now Iranians have not been allowed to pray, but last year they were allowed to return for the Hajj.
The two countries have seen relations strained by the attack on the Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran during protests against the execution of Riyadh’s Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
In recent months, Iranian state media have reported that pilgrims can go to Mecca for Umrah; however, they attributed it to technical problems. According to IRNA, a total of 5,720 Iranian Umrah pilgrims are expected to go to Saudi Arabia this year.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi, was at the airport on Monday with several Iranian officials to see the first group of pilgrims.
Unlike the Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and takes place on a specific date based on the lunar calendar, Muslims can visit Mecca at any time of the year.
