AFP/Riyadh
Saudi authorities said on Tuesday they are taking legal action against two police officers accused of sexually assaulting a pair of Iranian male pilgrims, an incident which Tehran protested.
The Saudis began proceedings after allegations of "sexual harassment against two teenage Iranian victims" at Jeddah airport, the interior ministry spokesman said, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The suspects have been referred "for investigation and to take the necessary procedures", the spokesman said, adding that Tehran's ambassador has been informed.
Iran's culture minister said on Monday that his country has suspended pilgrimages to Muslim holy places in Saudi Arabia "until the criminals are tried and punished".
Iranian media reported that the incident occurred as the youths prepared to return home after a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in late March.
The Saudi security spokesman said the kingdom's Islamic-based legal system "will ensure the strictest penalties for perpetrators of these type of crimes, which are condemned by all sectors of Saudi Muslim society".
Protesters rally in front of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Picture courtesy: The Daily Star
