Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday dismissed recent allegations made by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council, saying such futile tactics could not help Saudi Arabia shirk its responsibility toward the death of thousands of pilgrims in last year's hajj.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi slammed an anti-Iran statement issued by the (P)GCC foreign ministers after their recent meeting in New York as repetitive and baseless, Tasnim News Agency reported.
PGCC foreign ministers, in their Sunday session held at Saudi Arabia's permanent mission to the United Nations, criticized what they called Iran's "interference in the internal affairs" of other countries. Their statement also alleged that Iran is making attempts to politicize hajj and exploit it for political goals.
In response, Qasemi said such allegations are part of attempts by one of the (P)GCC members to put the blame on others after the international community rose against the connection between Wahhabism and acts of terrorism over the past two decades.
Attempts by a "pretentious" (P)GCC member to impose its "biased and one-sided views" on limited and small-scale diplomatic meetings are a "failed and invalid tactic", Qasemi said, referring to the Saudi government.
Qasemi said such provocative moves will not help Saudi Arabia evade accountability over the deaths of thousands of hajj pilgrims in Mina in September 2015.
During last year's hajj in Saudi Arabia, thousands of people were killed, 477 of whom were Iranians. The same year, 12 Iranians were killed in a crane collapse in Mecca.
So far, the Saudi government has not only refused to allow an international probe into the incident, make an apology or pay compensation, but it also intends to divert attention by blaming others for its mismanagement.
