Saudi Cancels Flight Permits For Iranian Pilgrims

A group of Iranian pilgrims at the airport
A group of Iranian pilgrims at the airport

Flights to Saudi for Iranian pilgrims traveling to Umrah have been canceled amid ‘technical disagreements’ between the two nations.

The anticipated journey was scheduled to commence on Wednesday morning, marking the first pilgrimage group after a 9-year diplomatic hiatus between Tehran and Riyadh.

However, a "technical disagreement," as described by the minister of culture, led to the cancellation of the flight.

The National Airline of Iran (Homa) had previously announced plans for two daily flights for Umrah operations, preparing to dispatch 30,000 Iranian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Hesam Qorbanali, spokesperson for Homa Company, stated on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic's aircraft could not proceed to Saudi Arabia and Jeddah Airport due to the "non-receipt of the necessary final permit."

Following the announcement, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture, attributed the delay in Umrah flights to a "technical disagreement" between the airlines of the two countries, reassuring that the issue is "not serious."

Authorities of the Islamic Republic had earlier outlined the travel plans for Iranian pilgrims, scheduled from January 3 through 11 airports in the country.

Since the suspension of Umrah in 2015 and the emergence of disagreements between Tehran and Riyadh, approximately six million Iranians have been awaiting the resumption of Umrah. The minister of culture had previously promised that before the summer of 2024, around 400,000 people would undertake the Umrah pilgrimage.

The relations between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia have been strained over the years, with heightened tensions due to Iran's support for Shia paramilitary groups, notably in Yemen. 

However, after a seven-year diplomatic hiatus, Tehran and Riyadh reached an agreement in February of the previous year to resume diplomatic relations. The agreement, mediated by China during the visit of then Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani to Beijing, paved the way for a subsequent trip by Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic, to Saudi Arabia.