TEHRAN (Daily Point) — Iran has unexpectedly announced the suspension of scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia, putting a halt to the long-awaited journeys of Iranian pilgrims to the holy land after an approximately 8-year hiatus.

An Iran Air spokesperson attributed the suspension to a ‘technical disagreement.’

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency confirmed the cancellation of Wednesday’s pilgrimage flights to Jeddah from Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan, citing the lack of required permits from Saudi authorities as the reason.

Despite speculation among observers about potential political motives behind the flight suspension, Iran’s Minister of Culture, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, assured in a statement that the issue is merely a “technical disagreement” between the aviation authorities of the two countries and not a matter of grave concern.

Last month, Iranian authorities had announced the resumption of Umrah flights, expressing the potential of sending between 800,000 to one million pilgrims annually if conditions and cooperation align favorably.

The revival of Umrah flights marked a significant moment following the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March 2023. The pilgrimage had ceased in 2015, a year before the two nations severed diplomatic relations.

The underlying controversy between the two countries dates back to the 2015 Hajj stampede, which heightened tensions due to the deaths of Iranian pilgrims. Iranian leaders held Saudi authorities responsible for the disaster, which resulted in a death toll of about 2,000 pilgrims, including over 400 Iranians.

While China-mediated negotiations between the two nations have shown progress, with the resumption of Umrah seen as a positive step, the sudden suspension of flights has sparked questions and raised concerns about the diplomatic developments between Iran and Saudi Arabia.