Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization has urged Saudi Arabia to increase the number of Iranians permitted to perform the Hajj pilgrimage next year, saying its current quota does not reflect the country’s population size.
In a meeting with Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi this week, Iran’s Hajj chief Alireza Rashidian said that last year Iran’s allocation was approximately 85,000 pilgrims.
He requested an increase in the quota for the next Hajj season in May 2026 to align more closely with Iran’s larger population of around 91 million.
He also raised operational issues including use of Ta’if airport and increased flight capacity via Saudi airlines.
Saudi Arabia allocates Hajj slots based on a formula set up in 1987, typically around one pilgrim per thousand Muslims in a country. For example, Indonesia has a quota of 221,000 pilgrims for 2025, Pakistan 180,000, India 175,000, and Iran now approximately 87,500.
On Thursday, the Supreme Leader’s representative for Hajj affairs, Abdolfattah Navvab, told Tasnim News that Iran hopes its Hajj quota will increase in proportion to the country’s growing population.
“Given the rise in Iran’s population, we hope the national quota will also increase so we can serve a larger number of pilgrims eager to visit Mecca,” he said.
Navvab added that last year’s quota was set at 85,000 pilgrims based on a population of 85 million, with an additional two percent allocated for staff and organizers.
He added that about 200,000 Iranians performed the Umrah pilgrimage last year -- a non-mandatory Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year -- and that, while Iran faces no specific restrictions for Umrah, limited flight capacity remains the main challenge.
“Fortunately, Saudi airline Flynas resumed flights from Shiraz yesterday, and services from Khuzestan province will begin soon to allow more pilgrims to travel,” he said.
