Ties worsened further when Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia executed a Shia cleric in January 2016, angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations. Reza Salehi Amiri, Iran's Islamic guidance and culture minister, told state television that Tehran was seeking guarantees to ensure the "dignity and safety" of the pilgrims before it agrees for the resumption of its participation in the pilgrimage, which starts this year in late August. The delegation - including officials of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation and representatives of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - left for Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday at the invitation of Saudi officials, the television said.
Copyright Reuters, 2017