US Senator Rick Scott on Tuesday slammed Pakistan after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral, questioning Islamabad’s credibility in the US-Iran peace process.
In a post on X, Scott accused Pakistan of hypocrisy and argued that Islamabad was not fit to play any mediating role in regional diplomacy. Criticising Pakistan’s track record, Scott wrote that the country should not be viewed as a credible mediator in international affairs. “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,” he said.
Questioning the Pakistan’s credibility, Scott further added that they’re no better qualified to ‘mediate’ this than the Hamas-harboring Qataris. Islamabad should take note; we’re watching closely.
His statement came hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. During the funeral ceremony, Sharif described Khamenei as a great scholar and leader whom millions of Muslims will remember.
In a video shared by Scott, the Pakistani Prime Minister also said, “Pakistan and Iran will march together under all circumstances.” The funeral witnessed large crowds gathering across Tehran to pay their final respects to Khamenei. His flag-draped coffin, along with those of family members killed in an airstrike during the conflict involving Israel and the United States, was carried through the Iranian capital.
The funeral procession also featured strong political messaging, with mourners raising anti-US and anti-Israel slogans. According to media reports, several participants called for the deaths of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while others carried placards demanding revenge and displayed effigies of Trump.
Iranian authorities projected the funeral as a demonstration of national unity amid ongoing regional tensions. The latest diplomatic row comes as negotiations between Washington and Tehran over a permanent end to the conflict remain at an impasse.
According to the information available, talks are expected to resume only after Khamenei’s burial, with key disagreements continuing over Iran’s nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security issues.