Iranian Foreign Ministry Deputy for Consular and Parliament Affairs, Hassan Qashqavi said it is not clear whether the missing Iranian pilgrims are dead or alive or are being held somewhere.
He said that it will not be possible for the officials to answer any question about the fate of missing Iranian Hajj pilgrims before the bodies of those who were killed in Mina stampede return home.
Talking in the funeral ceremony of the Iranian diplomat Hassan Hosseini Moqaddam who lost his life in Mina, he expressed hope that the fate of the other two Iranian diplomats now in the list of missing pilgrims will be clarified soon.
The missing diplomats are the Foreign Ministry deputy for protocols, Ahmad Fahim and the former Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi.
In our conversations with the Saudis, he said, we heard them say the incident was a divine destiny to which we answered that even the incidents destined for men have to be administered and managed by people themselves.
Qashqavi reminded the Supreme Leader's position that the tragedy needed management.
He said the Saudi officials confirmed that they had formed a committee. Iranian officials demanded that the logical manner was for Iran, and other countries involved, to be a part of the committee.
We have to answer to the families and the countries and should stand accountable, he said.
Pointing to numerous friendship agreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said based on these documents Iran expected the Saudis to deal frankly with the issue.
He noted that the fate of 116 Iranian pilgrims is not determined yet; IRNA reported.
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