TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry has written a letter to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran insisting that bodies of all Iranian pilgrims died during the Mina tragedy must be repatriated to Iran.

The Foreign Ministry seeks to establish a legal body to pursue the issue legally, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (IKANA) on Wednesday.

On September 24, a fatal stampede occurred in Mina during Hajj rituals when two large crowds of pilgrims collided. Saudi Arabia has so far confirmed the deaths of at least 4,173 pilgrims in the incident.

So far, 239 Iranian pilgrims have been confirmed dead in the incident and 241 others are still uncounted.

NA/PA