Navvab Appointed Hajj Envoy

In a decree on Saturday, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei appointed Hojjatoleslam Abdolfattah Navvab as his new representative for hajj and pilgrimage affairs.  
Navvab will replace Hojjatoleslam Ali Qazi-Askar who had recently announced his decision to step down.
Ayatollah Khamenei cited Navvab’s “numerous qualifications and precious experiences” in a decree posted on the Leader’s website.   
In his latest remarks, Qazi-Askar had announced assurances that Iranians who plan to make pilgrimage to the holy cities of Saudi Arabia later this year should not worry about their security.  
“Due to the severance of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, there are public concerns about hajj security,” he said on Friday.
“However, [in talks] with the Saudis, we raised the issue that they should separate hajj from political issues and they have accepted this in practice.”
During a visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2018, Alireza Rashidian, the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, held meetings with Saudi officials about the 2019 hajj season.
The two sides signed an agreement aimed at making better arrangements for Iranian pilgrims and preventing problems faced by them in the past.
The agreement stipulates that 86,500 Iranians will travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage in the coming Hajj season.