Iranian president wades into war of words with Saudi

Iran’s president has waded into the war of words against Saudi Arabia, calling on Muslims to punish the kingdom over its ‘crimes’.

President Hassan Rouhani called on the Muslim world to unite and punish Saudi Arabia for its mismanagement of the hajj pilgrimage and wider actions in the region.

"Regional countries and the world of Islam should take coordinated actions to resolve problems and punish the Saudi government," he told a cabinet meeting, according to the IRNA state news agency.

"Unfortunately, this government by committing crimes in the region and supporting terrorism, in fact shed the blood of Muslims in Iraq, Syria and Yemen," he added.

The verbal sparring, which follows months of tension between the two regional rivals, has escalated ahead of the annual hajj, which starts on Saturday.

Rouhani’s rant come the day after Saudi’s top cleric said Iranians are “not Muslims”.

"We must understand these are not Muslims, they are children of Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one. Especially with the people of Sunna," Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh told Makkah daily, referring to pre-Islamic beliefs in Iran and to the Sunnis who make up the main branch of Islam.

The grand mufti’s tirade followed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's call for the Muslim world to challenge Saudi management of Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.

Khamenei added the Saudis did not prosecute those at fault and showed no remorse over last year's hajj stampede, which killed 2,297 pilgrims. Iran said its nationals accounted for 464 of the dead.

After reviewing security forces assigned to protect the hajj, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said that the kingdom had "spared no effort to provide state-of-the-art services for the safety, comfort and security of all pilgrims".

For the first time in almost three decades, Iranians will not participate in this year's pilgrimage to Mecca after talks on logistics and security fell apart.

Riyadh said Tehran had made "unacceptable" demands, including the right to organise demonstrations "that would cause chaos".

Saudi Arabia says Iranian pilgrims are still welcome if they travel from other countries.

Riyadh and Tehran are at odds over a number of regional issues, including the conflicts in Syria and Yemen in which they support opposing sides.