Iran-Saudi war of words heats up over Hajj disaster

Riyadh

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded Saudi Arabia apologise Sunday for a stampede that killed 769 pilgrims at the Hajj, as a war of words escalated between the regional rivals.

Khamenei accused Riyadh of "a blame game", after the Saudi foreign minister said Iran was playing politics with tragedy.

"Instead of passing the buck and playing a blame game, the Saudis should accept their responsibility and apologise to the world's Muslims and the bereaved families," Khamenei said in comments reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency.

Iranian leaders have been fiercely critical of Saudi authorities' handling of safety at the Hajj, following Thursday's stampede during a ritual stoning of the devil in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca.

Within hours, Khamenei blamed "improper measures" and "mismanagement" for the disaster.

At least 144 Iranians died in the crush - the highest confirmed toll among foreign nationalities. Tehran says 323 Iranians are missing.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, addressing a UN development summit in New York on Saturday, said he wanted to "emphasise the need for swift attention to the injured as well as investigating the causes of this incident and other similar incidents in this year's Hajj."