News - Middle East: The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has described this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as “a practice of jihad” as well as an opportunity for Muslim nations to renounce Israel and its chief supporter, the United States, amid the occupying regime’s ongoing genocidal war against the besieged Gaza Strip.

Nasser Kan'ani made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday, as millions of Muslim pilgrims from around the globe have gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.    

“The philosophy of the Abrahamic Hajj and its rituals and practices teach Muslims and believers everywhere in the world how to declare their renunciation of Satan and those with satanic traits in the real world," he said.

The official went on to say that the issue of bara'at (renunciation of the polytheists) this year should go beyond just a Hajj ritual and extend to all Muslim nations of the world, as Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has declared in his annual Hajj message.  

"The renunciation of the Zionist regime and its supporters, especially the US government, must be manifested in the words and actions of nations and governments, and it should tighten the leash on the executioners," Kan’ani said.

Over 1.5 million pilgrims from various parts of the globe have already gathered in and around Mecca for the Hajj, with more pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia continuing to join. Saudi authorities anticipated the total number of pilgrims this year to surpass 2 million.

This year’s Hajj is held against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip that has killed at least 37,337 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 85,299 others.

Palestinians from Gaza could not travel to Mecca this year due to the closure of the Rafah crossing in May when Israel expanded its ground aggression into Rafah, a southern city on Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Source: Press TV