Supreme Leader: Zionists; immediate calamity of Islamic world

Ayatollah Khamenei said exposing the Zionist conspiracy and plotting is one of the essential tasks in Hajj.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that Arab and non-Arab governments, which have gone against the will of the nations and normalized relations with the Zionist regime for the sake of the United States, should know that the Zionist regime would only exploit them.
Pointing out that Hajj is a manifestation of the unity of the Islamic Ummah, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that every effort should be made so that there is no disruption to the issue of Muslim unity, since stirring up discord, especially between Shias and Sunnis, is one of the tricks of the British.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also pointed to the heavy responsibilities of the host government and the need for this government to act in the interests of the Islamic world and noted that ensuring the security of all pilgrims, especially Iranians, and preventing the recurrence of past tragedies, as well as reconsidering the increase in costs, are among the serious demands of the Islamic Republic.

Efforts should be made so that the Islamic unity is not disrupted, Ayatollah Khamenei said, warning that sowing sectarian strife has long been a scheme used by the British.
‘Riyadh must prevent recurrence of Hajj tragedies’
The Leader also underlined the heavy responsibilities of Saudi Arabia as the country that hosts Hajj, saying Riyadh needs to act in accordance with the Muslim world’s interests.
“Ensuring the security of all pilgrims, especially Iranian pilgrims, and preventing the recurrence of past tragedies, as well as reconsidering the rise in costs, are among serious demands of the Islamic Republic,” the Leader added.
Thousands of pilgrims lost their lives in a deadly crush back in September 2015 after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during the Hajj ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.
It marked one of the deadliest incidents in the history of Hajj. Saudi Arabia reported two days after the incident that nearly 770 people were killed, but it never updated the figure, while other estimates said thousands had lost their lives.

The largest number of victims was from Iran, followed by Mali and Nigeria. The Mina disaster inflamed tensions between Tehran and Riyadh and was one of the reasons that led to the severance of their diplomatic relations months later.

At the time, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Muslim world has "many questions in this regard, and Saudi rulers … must accept their responsibility in this grave incident by apologizing to the Muslim Ummah and bereft families.”