Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday blamed the Saudi Arabian government's "ineptitude" for the deadly hajj pilgrimage stampede that left 717 people dead and 900 more injured, reports Newsweek.
Rouhani suggested that because Saudi Arabia had sent experienced military troops to intervene in Yemen, it didn't have enough security personnel at the annual hajj event in Mecca, where on Thursday morning, two waves of pilgrims collided while attempting to move in opposite directions, leaving some 140 Iranians dead.
"Some people do believe that because Saudi Arabia has transferred the bulk of its military forces to the border with Yemen...it's running short of manpower," Rouhani, speaking through an interpreter, told editors in New York before his appearance at the U.N. General Assembly, according to Newsweek.
In March, a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, reported The Associated Press.
Rouhani added: "We're not yet at a point where we can reach a precise judgement. At the very least...it shows an ineptitude, it may show an ineptitude, by the government of Saudi Arabia."
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also blamed Saudi Arabia, saying on Thursday, "The Saudi government is obliged to accept its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness; mismanagement and improper measures that were behind this tragedy should not be undermined," as HNGN previously reported.
Saudi King Salman promptly ordered an investigation into the causes of the stampede, and after pressure from other Muslim countries, admitted Saudi Arabia needed to improve its future management of the pilgrimage, according to the Guardian.
Saudi Health Minister Khaled al-Falih reportedly placed blame on undisciplined pilgrims.
"Many pilgrims move without respecting the timetables" established by the government, which was the "principal reason for this type of accident," he said. "If the pilgrims had followed instructions, this type of accident could have been avoided."
