Prevailing tension in West Asia that has continued despite the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran will not deter the Indian pilgrims for the coming Haj season in Saudi Arabia, said officials in New Delhi on Friday (April 17, 2026). The first batch of Haj pilgrims this year will depart on April 18 from various embarkation points in India, said Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).

Mr. Mahajan said 1.75 lakh pilgrims were expected to undertake Haj in Saudi Arabia in the coming season that will stretch to the end of May. “Our embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah have been coordinating with the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Saudi authorities concerned, including the Ministry of Haj and Umrah. They are operationally ready to receive the pilgrims,” said Mr. Mahajan.

The U.S.-Israel war against Iran spiralled into a larger regional conflict in March when Iran retaliated by hitting U.S. military bases and industrial targets in the region that included several places in Saudi Arabia as well. This had created concerns about the extent of security that would be available for the pilgrims. However, officials here indicated that the safety of pilgrims would not be affected as they would be going to Jeddah on western Saudi Arabia which had not been targeted by Iran.

However, it was noticed that Iran did hit Yanbu on Red Sea coast near Jeddah on March 18 when projectiles hit Saudi Aramco SAMREF energy facility, which is a joint venture with U.S. energy major ExxonMobil. Saudi Arabia has tried to divert its energy supplies to the western coast to avoid the Hormuz chokepoint that threatened global energy security.