Release of Iranian pilgrim detained in Saudi

An Iranian pilgrim was released through the mediation of Iraq and Oman. He was arrested by the Saudi authorities while going to Hajj last July. News of Anadolu Agency.

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday (October 2) that Iraqi and Omani ministers informed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdullahian on Saturday (October 1).

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Khalil Darmand, an Iranian pilgrim, was reportedly arrested in mid-July for allegedly tweeting a picture of slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani near the Kaaba.

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That photo of Qassem Soleimani was tweeted on June 30. And Khalil's last tweet was on July 13. In the tweet, Hajj pilgrims are seen circumambulating the holy Kaaba Sharif. Despite repeated calls by Tehran for Khalil's release, there has been no official comment from Saudi authorities on his arrest.

About three weeks after the arrest, Iran's top diplomat Amir-Abdullahian asked Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein to mediate on the matter on August 5.

Then, on August 18, Iran's foreign minister raised the issue with Oman's foreign minister, Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, and urged the Saudi authorities to press for Khalil's release.