Related: Iran suspends 'lesser pilgrimages' to Saudi Arabia as Yemen tensions rise Iran had already paid for the missile contract, signed in 2007, and had sued for non-delivery.
The anniversary of his death this month saw ardent supporters – who say he turned around Chile's fortunes and refer to him affectionately as "my general" – making pilgrimages to his tomb to pay respects.
Country pilgrimages still thrive.
Likewise, David Willetts, the shadow secretary for work and pensions, will shortly be trekking out to various disadvantaged areas to meet poor people.But these Tory sojourns among the masses, unlike those of Henry V and Tony Blair, are also part of another well-established tradition, whereby disgraced leaders devote themselves to good causes or embark on pilgrimages in penance.
The numbers and combinations are endless.Many of these pilgrimages have been around for centuries.
In India the dying make pilgrimages to sacred sites, such as Varanasi, to be cremated and released into the River Ganges, India's holiest waterway.
Meanwhile poorly regulated but rapid construction will doubtless continue, as locals struggle to meet the demand from fellow Indians for recreation and pilgrimages.
With millions bound for Karbala for Ashoura, he has no interest in letting pilgrimages turn into demonstrations, as happened under previous leaders.
Perhaps this is why I find cemeteries neither creepy nor ghoulish.But even people who did not make regular graveyard pilgrimages would feel at ease in most of New York's cemeteries.
But Mr Abe also aims to improve ties with China, as he did during that first term, after a series of annual pilgrimages to Yasukuni by Junichiro Koizumi, his predecessor, had left bilateral relations in tatters.
The UN's World Tourism Organisation estimates that over 300m people go on pilgrimages each year.
