The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanani, indicated today, Monday, that Iran hopes to resolve technical issues hindering Iranian travelers from going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah soon. Kanani stated during a press conference broadcast on television today: "The relevant authorities have provided extensive information on this matter and the delay is purely technical with no political reasons." He added: "Saudi Arabia is completely committed in this regard, and the related institutions in our country are also making efforts to resolve this issue, and we hope that the technical obstacle will be resolved as well."
Kanani noted that the head of the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization is currently in Saudi Arabia with a team of experts to address the problems. The semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that representatives from the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization are also present in the kingdom to address these matters.
Iran announced in December that the first Umrah flights would commence on December 19 following an agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to allow the return of Umrah flights after an eight-year hiatus. However, the spokesman for Iran Air, Hosam Ghorban Ali, stated on state television that "this flight and subsequent flights were canceled because Riyadh did not provide the necessary final permits for Iranian aircraft to enter Saudi airports."
