Thursday, March 27, 2008

Iran suspends pilgrim tours to Iraq


Iran has suspended pilgrim tours to Shi'ite Muslim holy sites in Iraq because of rising violence there, state television reported on Thursday.More than 130 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in Iraq since Tuesday, when the U.S.-backed government launched an operation against Shi'ite militias in the southern city of Basra. Fighting has since spread across southern Iraq.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini protested earlier against what he said was the fingerprinting of Iranian pilgrims entering Iraq by U.S. troops, the official IRNA news agency reported.He said pilgrims went to Iraq under an agreement between the two neighbours and with "appropriate coordination between Iranian and Iraqi officials and (hence) there is no need for another party's interference".The United States has accused Iran of stirring up violence in Iraq by funding, training and supplying weapons to Iraqi militias, a charge Iran dismisses. Tehran blames the presence of U.S. troops for the instability and says they should quit Iraq.

This shows how Iran is taking preventive measures and trying to protect its citizens. This does prevent many Iranians from going on religious journeys though.


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