At War on All Fronts

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Since Khomeini came to power in 1979, tensions have been especially high during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that annually attracts more than 2 million Muslims from some 130 countries. Khomeini viewed the sacred occasion as the ideal time to deliver his revolutionary message, but the Saudis blocked that goal by banning demonstrations and limiting the number of Iranians allowed into the country. Last year Saudi police discovered more than 110 lbs. of explosives hidden in the luggage of 500 Iranian pilgrims.

Two weeks ago, however, the Saudis were not as lucky. According to accounts pieced together last week, the trouble began on Friday, only minutes after the end of midday prayer services. In 115 degrees heat, a white-robed sea of penitents swarmed around the Sacred Mosque, where the devout come to touch the Black Stone, a meteorite inside the shrine that millions of pilgrims have worn smooth over the centuries in the belief that it will absolve them of sin. Suddenly the worshipers' hymns and shouts of Allahu-Akhbar! (God is great) were drowned out. Crying "Death to America! Death to the Soviet Union! Death to Israel!," ragged lines of Iranian demonstrators began weaving through the crowds. Many carried posters of Khomeini that they waved over the heads of the faithful. Their alleged aim: to seize the Sacred Mosque and proclaim Khomeini leader of all Islam.

Police rushed in as the pilgrims and intruders began to clash. Waves of Iranians charged the officers, hurling rocks and other objects. Some agitators brandished clubs and knives. Others set fire to nearby cars and motorcycles. Terrified bystanders dashed for cover, their white robes frantically flapping. By the time police regained control, 402 people, including at least 275 Iranians, lay dead or dying and an additional 649 had been injured.

Tehran quickly claimed that the Saudis had machine-gunned the victims in cold blood. Riyadh replied that the Iranians had charged police and were trampled to death in the melee.The Saudis buttressed their story with videotape clips that showed an Iranian rampage. Ali Hassan Ash-Shaer, Saudi Arabia's Information Minister, insisted that "not a single bullet was fired" by Saudi forces.

On Saturday, Tehran awoke to a terse 7 a.m. newscast that reported that "scores of Iranian pilgrims have been shot dead by the Saudi police." By 8 a.m. a crowd of 600 had gathered outside the Saudi embassy. After briefly being restrained by armed police, the growing mob burst into the two-story villa, smashing windows and destroying embassy documents. Last week thousands of mourners walked through Tehran alongside coffins containing bodies brought back from Saudi Arabia. Chants of "Death to America!" and "Death to the fascist Saudi police!" filled the air.

For the conservative Saudi rulers, the bloodshed at Mecca was appalling and terrifying. Iran's revolutionary zeal had penetrated the borders of one of the most cautious and security-conscious countries in the world. "We are determined to defend our land and our holy places by all means," declared King Fahd. Arab leaders from Bahrain to Morocco rallied behind Riyadh and condemned the rioters.