Tehran. May 30, The Iran Project - A Lebanese Middle East expert says Saudi Arabia prefers political issues to (easing) Hajj, stressing growing tension between Saudi and Iran.

Speaking to a reporter  on Monday, Tallal Etrisi, a Lebanese university professor slammed Saudi Arabia's refusal to guarantee the security and safety of Iranian pilgrims, saying Saudis are after political objectives in Hajj arrangements following severing diplomatic relations with Iran.

Ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been tense since Tehran strongly condemned of the kingdom's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January.

Riyadh later severed diplomatic relations with Tehran following attacks on two vacant Saudi missions in Iran by angry protesters.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Etrisy pointed to the recent Hajj ceremony in which thousands of pilgrims lost their lives and the fact that Riyadh didn’t explain the cause of this tragedy and even refused to apologize the victims’ family, noting that Saudis need to give guarantees about the safety of Hajj pilgrims.

Answering to the question “Is Saudi qualified for hosting the Muslims ritual, considering the fact that the regime can't make difference between Hajj and political matters?” the expert said that:

“Due to the human catastrophes which have happened in Hajj during recent years, Iran suggested that an international institution from the Islamic countries observe Hajj progress, the Islamic republic proposal is still on the table but we should not neglect Saudi Arabia's influence on the Islamic countries.

Hundreds of people also lost their lives in a deadly incident that took place on September 24, 2015 in Mina after two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat, as part of their Hajj rituals.

The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage. According to an Associated Press count based on official statements from the 36 countries that lost citizens in the disaster, more than 2,400 pilgrims were killed in the incident.