Shafaq News – Baghdad

Saudi Arabia has expressed readiness to make every effort to secure the release of Iraqi citizens detained while performing the Umrah pilgrimage, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Sunday.

“I am committed to pursuing this issue with the relevant Saudi authorities, who have shown willingness to work toward the release of the detainees and their return home,” Hussein stated during a meeting in Baghdad with relatives of the detainees.

He added that Iraq’s embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are actively engaged in the case, underscoring Baghdad’s responsibility to defend the rights of its citizens abroad. The minister also instructed officials to provide legal and humanitarian support to the detainees’ families.

Hussein previously handed a formal letter to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Jeddah on August 25, urging the immediate release of the detainees and stressing that resolving the matter would strengthen bilateral ties.

The Iraqi parliament echoed the demand, calling on Saudi authorities to free the citizens held for several months. The parliamentary legal committee has confirmed that nine Iraqis are currently detained in the kingdom, noting that they have not been formally charged.