Iranian cleric arrested in Saudi Arabia after critical video

A senior Iranian cleric affiliated with the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was arrested in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj pilgrimage after publishing a video critical of the kingdom’s religious and cultural policies, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

Gholamreza Ghasemian, a conservative religious scholar and a former head of Iran’s parliamentary library and documentation center, was detained in the city of Medina while performing Hajj rituals, the reports said.

On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary spokesman said the arrest of Gholamreza Ghasemian in Saudi Arabia was “unjustified and unlawful,” adding that the Foreign Ministry would follow up on the case.

Saudi authorities have not commented publicly on the matter.

In a video posted before his arrest, Ghasemian criticized Saudi Arabia, accusing it of transforming the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina into destinations for entertainment and commercialization.

He also described conditions for pilgrims as highly restrictive, alleging that Saudi authorities prevent worshippers from engaging deeply with Islamic teachings during Hajj.

Cleric linked to 2016 Saudi embassy attack

Ghasemian has been linked by an Iranian documentary filmmaker to the 2016 attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, which triggered a major rupture in relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

According to the filmmaker, Javad Mogouei, Ghasemian gave a fiery speech at a religious gathering shortly before some attendees went on to storm the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

The assault on the embassy and the consulate in Mashhad came after Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The incident led Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties, accusing Iran of failing to protect foreign missions. Iranian security forces were widely criticized for allowing demonstrators to set fire to the embassy and destroy diplomatic property.

Saudi and Iran continue to rebuild relations

The arrest comes at a time of cautious rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh, who resumed diplomatic relations in 2023 after a seven-year break.

In April, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman made a rare visit to Tehran, marking only the second such trip since Iran’s 1979 revolution.

Ties have also improved in practical terms. Earlier this month, a direct flight by Saudi carrier Flynas landed in Iran for the first time in nearly a decade, marking the start of Hajj operations under a bilateral agreement that will see around 37,000 Iranian pilgrims flown to Saudi Arabia by July 1. Flynas and Iran Air are jointly operating the routes.