NCRI

Iran News: Saudi Arabia Expels Iranian Media Team Following Khamenei’s Threats

Mehdi Oghbai

According to reports by Iranian state media, Saudi Arabia has expelled six members of a so-called “Iranian media team” linked to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office. The team was detained in Medina while allegedly filming at the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque, amid Khamenei’s renewed threats aimed at aligning Riyadh with his regional agendas.

State-run outlet Entekhab reported today, “The Saudi authorities arrested the media crew, consisting of six journalists and documentarians, on May 22. They were detained while filming a Quran recitation and subsequently taken to a central police station in Medina without an official explanation. Following several hours of interrogation, they were deported to Iran. This group included reporters from Al-Alam News Network and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), who were apprehended while attending a prayer ceremony at the hotel housing Iranian pilgrims.”

While talking to state reporters at the airport, Piman Jebelli, the IRIB Chief claimed he was surprised by the arrest and return of the crew. Jebelli said, “These esteemed colleagues were dispatched as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Media Group. They were carrying out their routine and customary duties of recording Quran recitations at the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al-Nabi) when they were apprehended.”

This expulsion follows Khamenei’s May 6 proclamation, declaring this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as a “Hajj of repudiation.” Speaking to officials from his Hajj headquarters, Khamenei called for a strong stance against perceived adversaries, framing it as “a necessity for Muslim unity in support of causes like Palestine.”

Abdol-Fatah Navab, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs and the head of Iranian pilgrims, had also said in this meeting that “this year’s Hajj will reflect the echoes of the Al-Aqsa Storm and the Honest Oath.”

The clerical regime refers to the October 7, 2023, attacks as the “Al-Aqsa Storm Operation.” Additionally, “Operation Honest Oath” is the codename of the regime’s attacks against Israel on April 13, which involved 300 drones and missiles.

Khamenei’s rhetoric recalls the 1987 Hajj incident, where Iranian operatives disguised as pilgrims attempted to disrupt religious ceremonies in Saudi Arabia, resulting in a catastrophic clash that left over 400 dead. This historical context underscores the deep-seated distrust and complex dynamics of the Iranian regime’s persistent efforts to destabilize the region to gain strategic leverage amidst its domestic vulnerabilities.

In a broader context, Ebrahim Raisi’s administration has tried to counter regional alliances forming against Tehran by claiming it is prioritizing the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. However, the October 7, 2023, attacks revealed the regime’s duplicitous agenda, exacerbating tensions and disrupting regional stability.

Compounding this situation is the suspicion that the expelled media crew might have been engaged in intelligence operations under the guise of journalism. This suspicion is substantiated by Ali Fallahian, a former Iranian intelligence minister, who in a 2017 interview admitted that Iranian intelligence agents often operate under journalistic cover abroad.

The expulsion of the Iranian media team raises critical questions about their true mission in Saudi Arabia and reflects the pervasive mistrust among regional nations towards the Iranian regime. As Tehran grapples with strategic setbacks both in the Middle East and domestically, it continues to pose a serious threat and deploy operatives under various disguises, further complicating the geopolitical landscape.

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