Are Iran-Saudi Arabia relations headed for a new crisis?

When Saudi Arabia last week detained and subsequently deported six reporters from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), it virtually set the cat among the pigeons in a region awash with strife.

In a report, the IRIB said that this group of documentary producers was arrested while recording a recitation of the Quran at the Prophet's Mosque. They were reportedly interrogated for several hours before being transferred to the Medina Central Police Station without any reasons being disclosed.

Furthermore, it was reported that two days later, the Saudi police detained two more journalists, including a reporter from the al-Alam channel and a reporter from the semi-official IRNA, both Iranian news outlets.

These journalists were arrested while disembarking from their vehicle to attend the Kumeyl Prayer ceremony at the hotel where Iranian pilgrims were staying. On the same day, a radio documentarian was also reportedly summoned and detained at his hotel in Medina.

What actually happened

Peyman Jebelli, the head of IRIB who welcomed these journalists at the airport after they were deported from Saudi Arabia without performing their Hajj rites, stated, "This incident was surprising for us as well, because we had not encountered such a situation in previous years. We still do not have information about the reasons for this incident, and we will conduct the necessary investigations, God willing."

The lack of any explanation from the Saudi government regarding the deportation of these journalists has made matters even more mysterious.

However, the most likely cause of this incident is the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's recent call regarding this year's Hajj ceremony.

On May 6, Khamenei, in a meeting with the leaders and officials of Iranian Hajj delegations, stated, "Since the revolution, disavowal (bara'at) has been one of the fundamentals of Hajj. However, this year, with the great and strange events in Gaza, which have revealed the bloodthirsty nature of the structures rooted in Western civilisation more than ever before, this year's Hajj is specifically the Hajj of disavowal."

Considering the structure of the Iranian state and Ali Khamenei’s position within it, this call can be seen as an order for Iranians. In other words, Iranian officials will make great efforts to implement Khamenei’s order.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is strongly opposed to this, and the disavowal action has caused tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia several times in the past.

Most likely, the detention and deportation of Iranian journalists in Saudi Arabia were related to their preparations for the disavowal action.

Iran's disavowal propaganda

In the context of Iran's revolutionary discourse, the issue of disavowal (bara'at), which is a jurisprudential matter in Islam, is not limited to individual or doctrinal matters but also encompasses political and social dimensions.

In Iran's political perspective on Islam, the concept of disavowal goes beyond being a matter of the heart and emotions, extending to distancing from, isolating, and actively rejecting polytheists and those who continuously conspire against Muslims and even humanity as a whole.

This active rejection is manifested during the Hajj ceremony through the chanting of slogans such as "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," when Iranian pilgrims express their anger towards the West.

Iran's disavowal propaganda was initiated by Khomeini following the 1979 Revolution. First conducted in 1980, this propaganda reached a new phase in 1987 with Khomeini's call for a "return to the Abrahamic Hajj".

During the demonstration on July 31, 1987, Iranian pilgrims protested against Iran's enemies by chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" in the streets of Mecca.

However, the response from the Saudi Arabian police was extremely harsh, and in the ensuing clashes between Saudi police and Iranian demonstrators, 402 people lost their lives. According to the official statement from Saudi Arabia, 275 of the deceased were Iranian citizens.

Following this incident, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia collapsed, and normal ties could not be established as long as Khomeini was alive.

Indeed, in one of his speeches, Khomeini stated, "If we give up on the issue of Jerusalem, if we give up on Saddam, if we give up on everyone who has wronged us, we cannot give up on the issue of Hejaz. The issue of Hejaz is separate from other matters, it is another matter entirely," thereby asserting that Iran would never forgive Saudi Arabia.

Khomeini’s sabre-rattling indicated that, in the perception of Iranian rulers, Saudi Arabia – called Hejaz in Persian – holds a more negative image than Iraq’s former despotic ruler Saddam Hussein, who waged an eight-year war with Iran, resulting in thousands of casualties.

Hence, Ali Khamenei's recent call for "disavowing the West" during this year's Hajj ceremony immediately brought to mind the events of July 31, 1987.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki appeared on Iranian state television on the same day to comment on Khamenei's statement and highlight the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In the programme, Mottaki stated, "This year's Hajj is different from all the Hajj ceremonies of the past forty years... This year, we will witness a profound change in Mecca... What Saudi Arabia must do this year is not to hinder the anger of Muslims during the days of disavowal under any circumstances... "

However, Saudi Arabia's stance towards Iran's disavowal propaganda is far from positive, accusing Tehran of attempting to politicise and instrumentalise the Hajj ceremony.

Is a new crisis brewing?

Critics of Iran's disavowal propaganda during the Hajj ceremony argue that this contradicts the Quran and religious teachings.

According to this view, the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad during the Hajj was solely focused on worship and supplication, and shouting slogans against enemies and actions conflicting with the aims of the Hajj are inappropriate and considered sinful.

Additionally, Iran is accused of exploiting this religious ceremony for its political interests.

A review of the last forty years of Iran-Saudi Arabia relations reveals that disavowal propaganda has consistently been a significant point of contention.

In recent years, however, Iran's relative retreat has led to a thaw in bilateral relations. After more than seven years of severed diplomatic relations, Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the mediation of China, announced the resumption of bilateral relations in March 2023.

The inauguration ceremony of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Riyadh was subsequently held on June 5, 2023, attended by officials from the Iranian Foreign Ministry and representatives of regional and international organisations based in Riyadh.

However, Khamenei's statement on May 6 indicates that bilateral relations may be on the verge of a new crisis. Indeed, the recent detention and expulsion of Iranian journalists can be seen as early signs of this looming crisis.