Rick Scott

US Senator Rick Scott has publicly questioned Pakistan's credibility as a mediator in the ongoing US-Iran peace negotiations after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and praised him as a leader who would be remembered by millions of Muslims.

The remarks come at a time when Pakistan is one of the countries facilitating talks between Washington and Tehran following the 60-day ceasefire that paused months of conflict in West Asia.

In a post on X, Scott criticised Pakistan's role in the diplomatic process, citing both its history of sheltering Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Sharif's remarks at Khamenei's funeral.

"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.

Drawing a comparison with Qatar, another mediator in the negotiations, Scott added, "They're no better qualified to 'mediate' this than the Hamas-harboring Qataris. Islamabad should take note; we're watching closely."

Sharif praises Khamenei

Scott's criticism followed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's participation in the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

A video shared by Scott showed Sharif describing the late Iranian leader as "a great scholar and leader whom millions of Muslims will remember."

"Millions of Muslims, not only in Iran, but around the globe will remember him as a leader," Sharif said.

In remarks widely seen as referring to the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the Pakistani Prime Minister also said that thousands of Iranian men and women had been martyred "out of extreme aggression."

Funeral underway in Tehran

Iran began a five-day state funeral for Khamenei on July 4 at Tehran's Grand Mosalla prayer complex after the 86-year-old Supreme Leader was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

The ceremonies are expected to conclude on July 9 with Khamenei's burial in the holy city of Mashhad.

Talks expected to resume

Scott's comments come as Washington and Tehran prepare for another round of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in West Asia.

Pakistan and Qatar have been involved in facilitating the talks, with previous discussions held in Doha. However, both sides have acknowledged that major issues remain unresolved.

According to reports, the future reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the release of frozen Iranian funds continue to be among the principal sticking points in the negotiations.

The next round of talks is expected to take place after the conclusion of Khamenei's funeral ceremonies.