TEHRAN – Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed, for one more time, to resume Hajj and Umrah flights between the two countries.
The Iranian foreign minister confirmed on Wednesday that following an agreement between the two countries, Umrah and Hajj flights would be resumed as cooperation has begun on the matter.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian detailed after a cabinet meeting that the government inked an agreement with the Saudi side regarding the cooperation agreement between the Iranian and Saudi civil aviation organizations given the fact that for around eight years, Umrah and Hajj had been suspended.
“There were technical discussions about the restoration of flights based on the new agreement, which was the most important technical issue between us,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News agency.
The minister further noted that recently a delegation from the Saudi Arabian Aviation Organization visited Iran and completed their technical discussions according to the routine procedure. He also confirmed that he will establish a telephonic contact with his Saudi counterpart to review the latest situation together.
“The Saudi authorities transparently told us that they have given the necessary instructions to resolve this technical problem and that the work is on the right track,” he added.
The Umrah flights between the two countries were set to resume in December; however, the plan again came to a halt for ‘technical disagreements’.
This resumption of Umrah and Hajj flights marks a significant moment following the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March 2023. The pilgrimage had ceased in 2015, a year before the two nations severed diplomatic relations.
The controversy between the two countries was the 2015 Hajj stampede which escalated tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran due to the deaths of Iranian pilgrims. Iranian leaders accused Saudi authorities of being responsible for the disaster that led to a death toll of about 2,000 pilgrims including over 400 Iranians.
When the resumption of flights was confirmed last month, Iranian authorities said that there was potential of sending between 800,000 to one million pilgrims annually if conditions align favorably and requisite cooperation is extended.
The China-mediated negotiations between the two countries are now bearing fruit and the resumption of the Umrah, Hajj is a step in the same direction.
