Sep 28, 2015

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sept. 28 rejected claims by Saudi Arabian sources that Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon had not entered Saudi Arabia for the hajj. The controversy over Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who was the target of an assassination attempt by Saudi nationals in 2013, has brought Iran-Saudi tensions to new heights over the stampede that left more than 226 Iranians dead and more than 300 still missing.

Saudi Arabian-funded Al Arabiya reported Sept. 28 that according to Saudi sources, no one by Roknabadi's name had entered the country through any of the official channels. The sources said, “If it is true that Roknabadi participated in the hajj this year, he entered the country under a fake name.”

Shortly after the Al Arabiya report, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham denied the story. She said that Roknabadi entered Saudi Arabia with a regular passport and like all other Iranians, his information was given to Saudi officials for entrance for the hajj.

Afkham added that Roknabadi’s information, along with that of the other missing Iranians, was given to Saudi officials to help facilitate the search. She said, “Media sensationalism about this issue is untrue and is a result of other goals and aims.”

Iranian media outlets were less diplomatic in their doubts of Al Arabiya’s story.