Saudi Arabia slams Iran’s criticism of Hajj stampede

NEW YORK - Saudi Arabia firmly rejected Iran’s criticism of its handling of the Hajj pilgrimage on Monday after Tehran demanded an inquiry into the Mina stampede.

“I believe the Iranians should know better than to play politics with a tragedy that has befallen people who were performing their most sacred religious duty,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said.

The Saudi foreign minister - delivering remarks along US Secretary of State John Kerry - insisted that Saudi Arabia was on top of the situation.

“The Kingdom has had a long history of spending tremendous resources to care for the pilgrimage to ensure that the pilgrims who come there have a successful pilgrimage,” he said.

“We will reveal the facts when they emerge and we will not hold anything back. If mistakes were made, who made them will be held accountable,” he added.

“I would hope Iranian leaders would be more sensible and more thoughtful with regards to those who perished in this tragedy and wait until we see the results of the investigation,” Al-Jubeir said.

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