Saudi Minister of Hajj pledges to resolve visa issuance issues

The head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization met with the Saudi Minister of Hajj in Jeddah to address the ongoing delays in visa processing for Iranian pilgrims.

According to a report from the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization's news portal in Jeddah, Saeed Ohadi, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, met with the Saudi Minister of Hajj, Dr Bandar bin Hajjar, this afternoon. The meeting, which took place at 13:30 local time at the Ministry of Hajj building in Jeddah, was also attended by a representative from the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Jeddah, the CEO of the Omreh Saadat Institute, and the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization's representative office in Saudi Arabia. The primary focus of the discussions was the recent difficulties encountered regarding the issuance of visas for Iranian Umrah pilgrims.

Mr Ohadi told the portal's reporter: 'Our trip to Saudi Arabia was unplanned, and the reason for this was the emergence of the visa issuance problem; therefore, the trip was carried out as an urgent measure. Despite the fact that the Saudi Minister of Hajj had previously scheduled meetings with officials from other countries, he agreed to this meeting due to the importance of the matter and the respect he holds for Iranian Umrah pilgrims, and we sat down to discuss the issue.'

During the meeting, after the problems and the measures taken thus far were explained and declared, the Minister of Hajj expressed concern over the situation and stated that he had referred the matter to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs via a letter to ensure a swift resolution. During the session, while noting the inherent duties of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj regarding the protection of pilgrims' rights, a request was made for him to take the necessary actions as soon as possible.

The Minister of Hajj stated that he would be travelling to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, early next week and promised to take all necessary measures to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Mr Ohadi expressed hope that, with the follow-up by the Saudi Minister of Hajj, the visa issuance problem for Iranian pilgrims, which has persisted for approximately 20 days, will be resolved in a short period.

The head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization also announced that he held meetings today with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj's deputies for Hajj and Umrah, who, while stating that they had already taken steps to address the issue, also promised to pursue further follow-up actions.