Hajj Pilgrims Perform Stoning of Devil at Jamarat on First Day of Tashreeq

This handout satellite picture obtained from Planet Labs PBC and taken early on June 6, 2025 shows the Jamarat bridge in Mina on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite picture obtained from Planet Labs PBC and taken early on June 6, 2025 shows the Jamarat bridge in Mina on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
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Hajj Pilgrims Perform Stoning of Devil at Jamarat on First Day of Tashreeq

This handout satellite picture obtained from Planet Labs PBC and taken early on June 6, 2025 shows the Jamarat bridge in Mina on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite picture obtained from Planet Labs PBC and taken early on June 6, 2025 shows the Jamarat bridge in Mina on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

Hajj pilgrims were performing the symbolic stoning of the devil on the first day of Tashreeq on Saturday.

They will stone the devil with three pebbles at Jamarat after having had performed the first phase of the stoning on Friday and ending their state of Ihram.

Also on Friday, which was the first day of Eid al-Adha, the pilgrims performed the Ifada tawaf of the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Before that, they had ascended Mount Arafat on Thursday – considered the peak of the Hajj.

The Saudi Interior Ministry has called on pilgrims to follow the designated paths that connect each area where rituals are performed.

It also called on them to follow the set timetable for each ritual.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said on Friday that the security forces continue to perform their duties in protecting the pilgrims and ensuring their safety as they carry out the sacred rituals.

For pilgrims seeking to depart on the second day of Tashreeq, he urged them to remain in their tents until their departure times.

He underscored the Interior Ministry’s continued security and organizational efforts to ensure the safety of the pilgrims as they complete their holy journey.



GCC Secretary-General Receives Ambassador of Ukraine to Saudi Arabia

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
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GCC Secretary-General Receives Ambassador of Ukraine to Saudi Arabia

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi met in Riyadh Monday Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Anatolii Petrenko.

During the meeting, several topics were discussed, most notably reviewing cooperation relations between the GCC and Ukraine in areas of common interest, based on the Joint Action Plan between the two sides (2025-2030), and ways to enhance them to serve the desired objectives.

They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, SPA reported.

The GCC secretary-general also emphasized during the meeting the GCC's position on the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, which is based on the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and on preserving the international order based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and the non-use of force or the threat thereof.


Trump Says Iranian 'Fast-attack' Ships that Come Close to US Blockade Will Be Eliminated

US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Says Iranian 'Fast-attack' Ships that Come Close to US Blockade Will Be Eliminated

US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that any Iranian "fast-attack" ships that go near a US maritime blockade on Iran would be eliminated.

"What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not consider them much of a threat.

Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

 

 

 


Qatar FM Urges US, Iran to be Open to Mediation in Call with Iranian FM

Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
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Qatar FM Urges US, Iran to be Open to Mediation in Call with Iranian FM

Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File

Qatar's foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart on Monday that Iran and the United States should engage positively with mediation efforts, warning that maritime routes must not be used as "bargaining tools".

Qatari Foreign Minister and Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani "stressed the importance of all parties responding positively to the ongoing mediation efforts," in a call with Abbas Araghchi, AFP reported.

"He also emphasized the need to open maritime routes, guarantee freedom of navigation, and refrain from using them as a tool for pressure or bargaining," according to a statement released by the foreign ministry.