On Monday, the first group of Iranian pilgrims in nearly a decade departed for Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah, marking a significant step in the warming relations between the two Middle Eastern nations. This development follows Saudi Arabia’s lifting of restrictions on Iranian pilgrims, which had been announced in December. Flights had been postponed due to what Tehran described as “technical problems.”
The restoration of full diplomatic ties in March 2023, facilitated by China, ended a seven-year rift that began in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed a Shia cleric, leading to violent protests and the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Before this reconciliation, Iranian Muslims were only permitted to participate in the Hajj, the mandatory pilgrimage that occurs annually and has stringent quotas.
Unlike Hajj, Umrah is a non-compulsory pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of the year. The departure of these 85 pilgrims, witnessed by the Saudi Ambassador to Iran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, at Tehran’s main airport, underscores a renewed diplomatic engagement and cultural exchange between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
