Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states on Wednesday (September 7th) accused Iran of trying to politicise the hajj after its supreme leader lashed out at Saudi authorities over their management of the annual pilgrimage, AFP reported.
The head of the six-nation GCC said that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks accusing Riyadh of the "murder" of nearly 2,300 pilgrims at last year's hajj were "inappropriate and offensive".
GCC secretary-general Abdullatif al-Zayani said the comments were "a clear incitement and a desperate attempt to politicise" the hajj.
This year for the first time in almost three decades Iranians will not join the annual pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places in Saudi Arabia after talks on logistics and security fell apart in May.
The verbal sparring between the two regional rivals -- who have no diplomatic relations -- has intensified ahead of the start of the pilgrimage on Saturday.
Al-Zayani said the Arab Gulf states "reject the unjust media campaign and the successive declarations of senior Iranian leaders against the Saudi kingdom".
Iran has two options: Either to declare war on Gulf countries in the Arabian Peninsula and face its enemies directly, or to resolve the existing conflict. This is because the Gulf countries are attacking the Shia in a horrible way, and we can no longer bear this. They’re citing Iran as an excuse. I know quite well that our worst enemies are the Gulf countries; they’re filthier than Israel itself.
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