Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan, has responded to criticism and reactions surrounding the reception he and Ahmad Massoud received from Iranian officials during the funeral ceremony of Ali Khamenei.

Addressing critics of the event, Mohaqiq said that those who have used the occasion as a pretext to “attack Iran, Islam, and jihadist leaders” should “swallow their pain quietly.”

He also described his and Ahmad Massoud’s attendance at the ceremony as a sign of the “deep ties between two brotherly nations,” referring to Afghanistan and Iran. According to Mohaqiq, their presence reflected the close and historic relationship between the two neighboring peoples.

The remarks come amid mixed reactions in political and media circles over the participation of Mohaqiq and Massoud in the ceremony in recent days.