The HAJJ. The Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam — the core religious obligations that define Muslim practice. Every Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. This obligation is drawn directly from the Quran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad. The pilgrimage takes place during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul Hijjah — specifically on the 8th through 13th days — meaning it falls on different dates each year in the Gregorian calendar. This year, it is May 24… Sunday next.
Hajj is the largest annual human gathering on earth. In a normal year, roughly 2–3 million pilgrims from approximately 180 countries converge on Mecca and its surrounding sites over a period of five days. Saudi Arabia issues Hajj visas and imposes quotas on each country to manage the crowds. While in Saudi Arabia, the Muslim pilgrims will engage in a number of observances that will end on 31 May. The sequence of key events unfolds as follows:
May 24–25 (8 Dhul Hijjah The Day of Tarwiyah begins. Pilgrims travel from Mecca to the tent city of Mina to prepare for the days ahead.May 26 (9 Dhul Hijjah The Day of Arafah. Pilgrims gather on the plains of Mount Arafat to pray and repent—the most crucial and central ritual of the Hajj.
May 27 (10 Dhul Hijjah Eid al-Adha. Pilgrims travel to Muzdalifah to collect pebbles for the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina, followed by animal sacrifice and the shaving or trimming of hair.
May 28–29: The remaining days of Tashreeq, during which pilgrims continue the stoning rituals and perform Tawaf al-Ifadah at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Saudi leaders know that if they allow the US to conduct new attacks on Iran from Saudi bases, or if US air assets located at Prince Saud Air Base (PSAB) are used to refuel US attack jets, then Iran would likely retaliate and hit Saudi targets. This runs the risk of knocking out power and disrupting air traffic, which means Muslim pilgrims would not be able to arrive in Saudi Arabia or depart. A new US attack on a Muslim nations during this sacred period would further damage the already tattered reputation of the United States.
It is possible that Trump might decide to go ahead with a new round of airstrikes on Iran, but instead of using Saudi airspace the refueling operations would be shifted to Iraqi airspace. On the diplomatic front, Washington continues demanding extensive uranium transfers, severe limitations on Iran’s remaining nuclear infrastructure, and regional de-escalation in exchange for phased sanctions relief and limited asset access.
Tehran’s position remains equally uncompromising:
- end the multi-front regional wars,
- - lift sanctions in meaningful form,
- - unfreeze sovereign assets,
- - recognize the geopolitical realities surrounding Iranian influence and strategic geography — particularly around Hormuz.
- The crucial point here is that Tehran no longer views its nuclear leverage merely as a technical bargaining chip. It now sees it as part of a much wider civilizational and strategic survival framework. Iran has absolutely no intention of surrendering sensitive nuclear material into Western custody structures. If any external custodial arrangement emerges, the preference strongly tilts toward Russia and possibly broader Eurasian mechanisms rather than anything controlled by Washington or Europe.
Here is the bottomline: The negotiations between Iran and the US, with Pakistan mediating, are likely to fail and the US will, along with Israel, will renew the attack on Iran, but without the support of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
I was interviewed today by Paul Mills. We discussed some of the latest political developments inside the US: Steve Yang, host of Natural Resource Stocks, asked me to explain what the CIA is really like: Pyotr Kurzin, who is celebrating his birthday in Africa, chatted with me about Trump restarting the War with Iran: Finally, I ended the day with Sulaiman Ahmed… We discussed the implications of the HAJJ for US plans to attack Iran: --- I thank you for your invaluable support by taking time to read or comment. I do not charge a subscription fee nor do I accept advertising. I want the content to be accessible to everyone interested in the issues I am discussing. However, if you wish to make a donation, please see this link .