Iran has officially announced it won't be sending pilgrims to the hajj this year, blaming Saudi Arabia for failing to provide what Tehran says is adequate security for the pilgrims.
The hajj has become a contentious issue as tensions between the two Middle East powers escalated after last year's hajj disaster killed at least 2,426 people, including more than 400 Iranians.
Said Ohadi, head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, said on June 2 that "Saudi Arabia knows it will pay a heavy price" for its behavior.
Since the 2015 disaster Iran had demanded additional security guarantees, but a second round of talks in Saudi Arabia this week failed to resolve the issue.
Ohadi said Riyadh sought to restrict the number of makeshift clinics Iran had wanted to set up for its pilgrims.
