The fate of an Iranian national, Shahram Amiri, who went missing in Saudi Arabia nearly five months ago, still remains unclear.

Amiri, a researcher at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah Hajj in June. He contacted his family three days after his arrival in the kingdom but has been missing since then.

Saudi officials have failed to provide Iran with a convincing response.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said earlier in October that the US was behind the disappearance of the Iranian academic.

"We have found documents that prove US interference in the disappearance of the Iranian pilgrim Shahram Amiri in Saudi Arabia," Mottaki told reporters after a cabinet meeting on October 7.

Mohammad Marandi, a Tehran University professor, described the event as a "disturbing sign," and drew a parallel between Amiri's case and another incident in which US soldiers kidnapped Iranian diplomats and held them for two years.

"But I think what is even more disturbing is the fact that the Saudi regime has effectively discredited itself and ... will be seen by those who know what has gone on in the region as being confined to American demands and effectively abiding by American wishes," the scholar said.

The Umrah Hajj is very much similar to the Major Hajj but differs in that it can be undertaken at any time of the year. Around 100,000 Iranian pilgrims are waiting to be sent to the Major Hajj this year.

MMN/SS/MMA