Over 1.5 million Muslim faithful began filling a vast tent city in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Monday for the annual hajj pilgrimage against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the Iran war.
The white-robed pilgrims arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the "tawaf," walking seven times around the Kaaba, the giant black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque.
As pilgrims arrived in Mina in waves temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius in the area and Saudi health authorities urged hajj participants to use umbrellas and reduce sun exposure to prevent heat exhaustion.
The start of the hajj came as US President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump later took to his social media platform Truth Social to declare, "The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal."
