[[{"content_id":"104","domain_id":"0","lang_id":"en","portal_id":"2","owner_id":"83","user_id":"2","view_accesslevel_id":"0","edit_accesslevel_id":"0","delete_accesslevel_id":"0","editor_id":"0","content_title":"Senior Cleric Blasts S. Arabia for Blocking Iranian Hajj Pilgrimage","content_number":"","content_date_event":"2016-08-07 16:31:56","content_summary":"TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani lashed out at Riyadh for hindering Iranians' pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj rituals.","content_summary_fill":"1","content_body":"TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani lashed out at Riyadh for hindering Iranians' pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj rituals.\r\n \r\nAddressing a large and fervent congregation of the people on Tehran University campus on Friday, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani said, "The Saudis' efforts to ban Iranians from Hajj rituals will make them face divine chastisement."\r\n \r\nSaudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh on January 2.\r\n \r\nNimr’s execution caused international outrage and sparked anti-Saudi demonstrations in many other countries.\r\n \r\nRiyadh has been attempting to rock the boat in relations between Iran and other world states and has spared no efforts to pressure Tehran.\r\n \r\nSaudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) claimed in April that Mahan Air was banned due to alleged violations of local safety rules. The GACA claimed in a statement that several violations related to airline safety had been committed by Mahan Air.\r\n \r\nImmediately after the announcement, Director of Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh said Iranian airlines had never tried to land or make any request to fly in the Saudi airspace.\r\n \r\nIn a statement at the time, Jafarzadeh said Saudi authorities should explain why they claim they have withdrawn licenses given to Mahan Air to land in the Persian Gulf kingdom or fly in its airspace over ‘safety’ claims.\r\n \r\n“No Iranian airline, including Mahan Air, has ever asked to land in Saudi Arabia or fly in its airspace. Iranian airlines have stopped their flight services to Saudi Arabia altogether. It just doesn’t make any sense for the Saudis to question the safety of Iranian jet airliners,” he added.\r\n \r\nThis is while trade between Iran and Saudi Arabia has mostly been small and each year only Iranian pilgrims travel to the kingdom for the Hajj pilgrimage.\r\n \r\nAlso in April, Ground Force Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said Saudi Arabia is masterminding terrorist attacks on the Islamic Republic by training and funding terrorist groups along the borders.\r\n \r\nSpeaking to reporters, Pakpour said Iran has arrested terrorists that have confessed to their affiliation to Saudi Arabia and some other Persian Gulf Arab states.\r\n \r\nPakpour said Riyadh is striving hard to make Iran insecure, and added, "Right now, countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaged in organizing and equipping these groups but the reason why no terrorist act is committed is due to our preparedness."","content_html":"

TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani lashed out at Riyadh for hindering Iranians' pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj rituals.
\n\u00a0
\nAddressing a large and fervent congregation of the people on Tehran University campus on Friday, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani said, \"The Saudis' efforts to ban Iranians from Hajj rituals will make them face divine chastisement.\"
\n\u00a0
\nSaudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh on January 2.
\n\u00a0
\nNimr\u2019s execution caused international outrage and sparked anti-Saudi demonstrations in many other countries.
\n\u00a0
\nRiyadh has been attempting to rock the boat in relations between Iran and other world states and has spared no efforts to pressure Tehran.
\n\u00a0
\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) claimed in April that Mahan Air was banned due to alleged violations of local safety rules. The GACA claimed in a statement that several violations related to airline safety had been committed by Mahan Air.
\n\u00a0
\nImmediately after the announcement, Director of Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh said Iranian airlines had never tried to land or make any request to fly in the Saudi airspace.
\n\u00a0
\nIn a statement at the time, Jafarzadeh said Saudi authorities should explain why they claim they have withdrawn licenses given to Mahan Air to land in the Persian Gulf kingdom or fly in its airspace over \u2018safety\u2019 claims.
\n\u00a0
\n\u201cNo Iranian airline, including Mahan Air, has ever asked to land in Saudi Arabia or fly in its airspace. Iranian airlines have stopped their flight services to Saudi Arabia altogether. It just doesn\u2019t make any sense for the Saudis to question the safety of Iranian jet airliners,\u201d he added.
\n\u00a0
\nThis is while trade between Iran and Saudi Arabia has mostly been small and each year only Iranian pilgrims travel to the kingdom for the Hajj pilgrimage.
\n\u00a0
\nAlso in April, Ground Force Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said Saudi Arabia is masterminding terrorist attacks on the Islamic Republic by training and funding terrorist groups along the borders.
\n\u00a0
\nSpeaking to reporters, Pakpour said Iran has arrested terrorists that have confessed to their affiliation to Saudi Arabia and some other Persian Gulf Arab states.
\n\u00a0
\nPakpour said Riyadh is striving hard to make Iran insecure, and added, \"Right now, countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaged in organizing and equipping these groups but the reason why no terrorist act is committed is due to our preparedness.\"<\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2016-08-07 16:31:56","content_date_finish":"2016-08-07 16:31:56","content_date_register":"2016-08-07 16:34:40","content_date_last_edit":"2016-08-07 16:34:40","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"0","content_show_related_img":"0","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"1","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"0","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":"2729848168","attach_date_register":"2016-08-07 16:34:35","attach_id":"240","attach_file_ext":"jpg","attach_file_header":"image\/jpeg","attach_img_type":"2","attach_img_width":"600","attach_img_height":"350","attach_file_media":"1","attach_show_watermark":"1","score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"6088","visit_date_last":"2024-11-23 18:50:11","attach_title":"TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani lashed out at Riyadh for hindering Iranians' pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj rituals.","node_title":"Editors Choice,News,Ordinary","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":98, \"left\":2, \"right\":11},{\"node_id\":103, \"left\":12, \"right\":13},{\"node_id\":127, \"left\":66, \"right\":67}]","node_number":"3","allowable_node":"3"}]]