Saudi Arabia frees Iranian cleric imprisoned for video critical of Riyadh

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Thursday that cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian, detained earlier this week in Saudi Arabia for criticising Riyadh, had been released following diplomatic intervention.

Ghasemian, a senior hardline religious figure, had posted a video from Medina during the Hajj pilgrimage accusing Saudi authorities of transforming Islam’s holiest cities into commercialized entertainment hubs.

“We continue our brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and will not allow any disruption to affect them,” Araghchi said in a statement carried by IRNA.

He added that Tehran was in close coordination with Hajj officials to ensure the uninterrupted participation of Iranian pilgrims.

In the footage, recorded shortly before his arrest, Ghasemian said Mecca and Medina had become substitutes for casinos, brothels, and obscene concerts, alleging a Saudi-led erosion of Islamic values by the country which safeguards Islam's holiest sites.

Saudi authorities detained Ghasemian in Medina, but Iranian officials say he was freed without charges and returned to Iran via Dubai early Thursday.

Majid Rezapanah, head of consular affairs at Iran’s foreign ministry, said Saudi officials granted consular access twice during his detention.

“The matter was resolved through high-level engagement and reflects the seriousness of both sides in preserving recent diplomatic gains,” Rezapanah told state media.

Ghasemian, 52, is no stranger to controversy. He was previously linked by filmmaker Javad Mogouei to a fiery speech delivered ahead of the 2016 mob attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.

The assault, triggered by the Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, led to Riyadh severing diplomatic ties with Iran until their resumption in 2023.

Since then, the two regional rivals have resumed direct flights, reopened embassies, and exchanged senior visits—including an April trip to Tehran by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.

Iranian officials have sought to downplay the Ghasemian episode, emphasizing the broader stakes. “No one will approve of bad or offensive speech,” Iran’s ambassador to Riyadh, Alireza Enayati, posted in Arabic, aiming to reassure his Saudi hosts.

Ghasemian, now back on Iranian soil, thanked consular staff for securing his release in a post on X.