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Saudi sets quota for Hajj, only 13,000 Afghan pilgrims will attend this year

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The Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs says that according to the quota set by Saudi Arabia for Afghanistan, the number of Afghan pilgrims will only be 13,000 this year.

A ministry spokesman meanwhile said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has set up a committee headed by Abdul Salam Hanafi, second deputy prime minister, to address urgent Hajj applicantions this year.

According to the spokesman, plans to transport Afghan pilgrims to Saudi Arabia will be completed within a month.

The ministry’s spokesman also stated that included in the 13,000 pilgrims will be those who registered for Hajj in the past few years.

Although the new government of Afghanistan has not yet been recognized by Saudi Arabia, it is providing consular services in Afghanistan to pilgrims.

“While the Afghan quota [processing] has been delayed, the ministry is able to provide services to all pilgrims and the committee that has been formed is to solve the problems of pilgrims,” said Fazl Mohammad Hussaini, spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs.

However, in addition to the low quota, the lack of teachers, medicine and a ban on flights are among the problems facing Hajj pilgrims this year.

In previous years, more than 30,000 Afghans attended Hajj annually, but in the past three years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi government has imposed severe restrictions and reduced quotas for countries.

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Iranian envoy calls for Afghan solidarity amid escalating war with Israel

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UN confirms small number of Iranians seeking refuge in Afghanistan

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The United Nations has confirmed that a small number of Iranians, including dual Iranian-Afghan nationals, have crossed into Afghanistan following the outbreak of conflict between Iran and Israel.

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), around 30 families with dual citizenship have entered Afghanistan, and a limited number of Iranian asylum seekers were registered on Sunday, June 22.

UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, stated that the agency is closely monitoring developments at border crossings and is fully prepared to support any Iranians fleeing the violence.

He also highlighted the broader regional displacement crisis, noting that since 2023, an estimated 3.5 million Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan—many under duress.

Jamal emphasized the need for all returns to be conducted with dignity and called on the international community to invest in Afghanistan’s long-term peace and development.

“We are at the borders – in Milak and Islam Qala. We are monitoring the situation and indeed we are ready to receive Iranians if they choose to come. At the moment, we have not observed large numbers,” Jamal said.

“We have seen about 30 families that have dual nationality – Iranian and Afghan nationality. And I believe that yesterday we may have received just some small numbers of pure Iranian cases, but it is not big numbers at the moment,” he added.

UNHCR is working alongside Afghan government institutions and humanitarian partners to strengthen returnee reintegration programs. Jamal further urged neighboring countries to continue hosting Afghan refugees in a humane and respectful manner, while reaffirming UNHCR’s commitment to supporting those displaced by the ongoing conflict.

 

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Iran’s Supreme Leader cuts off all electronic communications amid assassination fears

It also notes that communications with senior military officials are now being conducted exclusively via one close aide.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly severed all electronic communications and retreated to an underground bunker amid fears of an assassination, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report, citing intelligence sources and Iranian insiders, claims that Khamenei, 86, is now directing the country through a trusted intermediary while avoiding any traceable digital contact.

The move comes as Israeli airstrikes on Iran continue into their second week, heightening concerns within Tehran’s leadership about regime destabilization.

“Ali Khamenei… has cut all electronic channels out of concern for his safety,” the report states, adding that the Supreme Leader is preparing for “worst-case scenarios,” including a potential coup.

It also notes that communications with senior military officials are now being conducted exclusively via one close aide.

In a striking revelation, the Times reports that Khamenei has made contingency plans to flee to Russia if the regime’s stability collapses. The Iranian leader has also reportedly formalized decisions regarding both military command succession and his own potential successor, identifying three senior clerics as candidates should he die during the crisis.

There has been no official response from Iranian authorities regarding the report, which comes at a time of extreme internal and external pressure on the Islamic Republic following U.S. and Israeli strikes on key nuclear sites.

The situation remains fluid, and analysts suggest these developments point to the most severe leadership security measures seen in Iran since the 1980s.

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