Iran confirms consular meetings with cleric detained in Saudi Arabia

TEHRAN: Iran said Wednesday it has held consular meetings with a cleric detained during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, according to local media.

Gholamreza Ghasemian, a well-known cleric and religious figure in Iran, was arrested in the kingdom on Monday after a video circulated online showing him criticising the Saudi government, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.

Saudi authorities have not confirmed the arrest.

In the footage, Ghasemian, dressed in white pilgrimage robes, accused Saudi leaders of turning the holy Qibla into “a place for gambling houses, centres of debauchery, and obscene concerts”.

Alireza Bayat, head of Iran’s Hajj organisation, said Iranian officials had held three consular meetings with Ghasemian in coordination with the embassy and consulate in Jeddah, ISNA reported.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir demanded his release on Tuesday, calling his arrest “unjustified and unlawful” while adding that his remarks reflected his personal views.

“Nevertheless, we are obliged to defend the rights of our citizens.”

Abdolfattah Navvab, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative for Hajj and pilgrimage affairs, also called the cleric’s comments “his personal opinion”.

“He is an active figure in holy Quranic circles, and expectations from him are naturally higher. That said, we expect the honourable authorities of the host country... to allow him to complete his pilgrimage and return home.”

On Tuesday night, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that “Iran in no uncertain terms condemns any attempt to harm Muslim unity, particularly in the spiritual atmosphere of the Hajj.”

He did not mention the cleric’s case.

“We are determined to not allow anyone to sabotage relations with our brotherly neighbours, including the progressive path of Iran and Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, met with Khamenei during a visit to Iran last month — the first high-level encounter of its kind since diplomatic ties were severed.