PNN – A senior official said that over the past five days, U.S. officials at the highest levels had launched an extensive campaign to dissuade countries from participating in the tribute ceremony for Iran’s martyred leader.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Details have emerged regarding a threatening U.S. campaign aimed at dissuading countries from participating in the tribute ceremony for the martyred Imam.
A senior source stated that over the past five days, high-level U.S. officials had launched an extensive campaign to discourage nations from attending the ceremony honoring Iran’s martyred leader.
According to this informed source, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a confidential directive on June 26 to all U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions, instructing that all recipients of this directive are required to leverage various U.S. capabilities to make it clear to host-country officials that their participation in the funeral ceremony of the Iranian leader would be viewed by the United States as an unfriendly act and would have negative consequences for bilateral relations with the U.S.
According to two Arab diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity, Marco Rubio has personally discussed this matter with his counterparts from at least five Arab nations.
Furthermore, U.S. ambassadors in African countries have explicitly warned that U.S. development aid to these nations could be cut off if they participate in the Iranian leader’s funeral ceremony. It is reported that a major North African country’s decision to downgrade the rank of its representative at the ceremony stemmed from concerns over the potential impact on its bilateral relations with the United States.
Based on assessments, at least 13 countries—including three Eastern European nations, five African states, two Arab Gulf states, and two major East Asian nations—withdrew from attending the funeral of Iran’s leader due to pressure exerted by the United States.
Some of the countries that decided against participating due to U.S. pressure attempted to offer apologies and explanations via intermediaries or their diplomatic missions in Geneva and New York. Others had designated their diplomats in Tehran to attend the ceremony, but these representatives were not accepted by Iran.