More than 450 people died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca one year. Iran canceled its participation in this year’s holy pilgrimage. Photo: Omar Chatriwala via Wikimedia Commons.

Iran on Sunday canceled its participation in this year’s holy pilgrimage to Mecca, blaming rival Saudi Arabia, as the regional powerhouses’ troubled relationship reached a new low.

“Unfortunately, Iranian pilgrims cannot go to hajj this year,” Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati told state television.

Read full story at The Wall Street Journal.