DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia expelled six members of a crew from its state television broadcaster after they had been detained for nearly a week in the kingdom ahead of the Hajj. Saudi Arabia said the men had been working in violation of the visas they received.. However, there have been tensions for decades between the Sunni and Shiite powerhouses over the holy sites in the kingdom, particularly around the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.
“They were carrying out their normal and routine task when this happened and they were arrested,” said Peyman Jebeli, the head of Iran’s state broadcaster, known as Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. “We are not aware of the reason they were arrested and sent back to the country.” Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 afterSaudi Arabia had previously severed ties with Iran from 1988 to 1991 over rioting during the Hajj in 1987 and Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. That diplomatic freeze saw Iran halt pilgrims from attending the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Iranian pilgrims briefly were stopped from attending Hajj over the most-recent round of tensions as well.
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