Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "improper measures" and "mismanagement" by Saudi authorities caused Thursday's deadly stampede at the annual hajj pilgrimage, and announced three days of mourning.
"The government of Saudi Arabia must accept the huge responsibility for this catastrophe," state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying of the tragedy, which killed more than 700 pilgrims, including at least 90 Iranians.
Khamenei on Wednesday had said that Saudi Arabia bore a duty to all pilgrims at the holy rituals, and his comments after the tragedy followed those of other Iranian officials who criticized the kingdom for failing to safeguard the ceremonies.
The statement echoes comments by senior Egyptian religious officials to Iranian media, in which the possibility was raised that Saudi authority over the hajj pilgrimage and Meccan holy sites might be divided among Muslim states .
