US Senator Rick Scott has strongly criticized Pakistan's role as a mediator in the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, accusing Islamabad of hypocrisy following Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's attendance at the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed on February 28 during the opening day of the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran.
Scott's Scathing Attack on Pakistan
Sharing a video on social media platform X, Scott highlighted footage of Sharif paying tribute to the 86-year-old Shia cleric, describing Khamenei as 'a great scholar and leader whom millions of Muslims will remember' and declaring that 'Pakistan and Iran will march together under all circumstances.' In an accompanying post, the US lawmaker launched a scathing attack on Islamabad's historical ties to terrorism and internal religious persecution.
'We need to remember who Pakistan really is in the middle of all this. We're talking about a country where bin Laden hid out for a decade, where they selectively enforce lopsided blasphemy laws to persecute Christians, and where the prime minister just praised the genocidal mass-murdering tyrant that used to run Iran,' Scott wrote. He asserted that Pakistan is 'no better qualified to mediate this than the Hamas-harbouring Qataris' and issued a direct warning: 'Islamabad should take note; we're watching closely.'
Massive Funeral Processions in Iran
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of the Iranian holy city of Qom on Tuesday, marking the fourth day of extensive funeral proceedings for the deceased supreme leader. Khamenei's remains are lying in state at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, a major theological hub housing Shia Islam's most prominent shrines and seminaries. Aerial footage broadcast by Iranian state television captured vast crowds packed across the city, which has a population of around 1.5 million.
A prayer service at the mosque was led by Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, a 93-year-old conservative ayatollah, during which the gathered crowd chanted 'death to America' in unison. State media also broadcast images of mourners and turbanned clerics paying respects beside the coffins of Khamenei and four family members killed alongside him, including a granddaughter reportedly only 14 months old.
Political Implications and Upcoming Burials
The massive gatherings follow a large-scale procession in Tehran on Monday, which authorities utilized to project internal stability and strength following the war and violent anti-government protests that shook Iran six months ago. The turnout in the capital drew comparisons to the 1989 funeral of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A subsequent funeral procession is slated for Wednesday in neighboring Iraq, which holds a significant Shia population. The final burial for Khamenei, who held power in Iran for more than 30 years, is scheduled for Thursday in his northeastern hometown of Mashhad.
