Iran's Foreign Ministry hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday over a speech he gave in Athens last w...

Iran's Foreign Ministry hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday over a speech he gave in Athens last week, accusing him of distorting ancient history to justify American foreign policy. Speaking from the Pnyx hill with the Acropolis as his backdrop, Rubio invoked the Greco-Persian Wars and the 480 B.C. sack of Athens by Xerxes' forces, describing the Persian destruction of temples and the burning of the Acropolis as a lesson about Western civilization's survival against outside threats. He tied that historical moment directly to what he called the theocratic regime that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, at his weekly press briefing Monday, called Rubio's framing part of America's "cognitive warfare." Baghaei said presenting a distorted picture of historical events to justify a "warmongering" stance was dangerous and an injustice to Greek culture and civilization. He also suggested Rubio's advisors hand him a copy of the poetry collection "Divan" by the Persian poet Hafez, so he could better appreciate the depth of Iranian culture. Baghaei did acknowledge, in a backhanded way, that Rubio had inadvertently confirmed something: that Iran as a concept, idea, and ethos has endured for thousands of years. On the question of nuclear diplomacy, Baghaei pushed back on repeated claims from American officials that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to normal and that Tehran has lost its leverage over the waterway. He said Iran will continue doing what it has been doing. Tehran is currently reviewing Washington's response to Iran's seven-point proposal for resolving the crisis. That proposal includes lifting the naval blockade, ending hostilities on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, and honoring all commitments made under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Baghaei said Iran's position on its rights remains unchanged and that all recently imposed U.S. sanctions must also be lifted before any deal is finalized. #Iran #Rubio #Geopolitics