Trial of Iranian forged visa ring

About 30 Iranians have gone on trial in Teheran accused of providing Iranians with fake visas for Saudi Arabia.

The official daily newspaper and state television said the trial began yesterday.

The newspaper said about 160 pilgrims to holy sites in Saudi Arabia had been provided with false visas.

Last March the Iranian intelligence ministry said it had broken a Teheran-based ring producing forged visas for Saudi Arabia.

It's not clear if the visas were for the annual Hajj pilgrimage which has quotas for each Muslim country or for the smaller Umrah pilgrimage which is not limited.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service