‘Anachronism’: Rubio’s civilisational rhetoric prompts pushback from Iran | US-Israel war on Iran | Al Jazeera

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech in Athens referencing ancient Persia, which was met with coldness or disdain in Iran. He portrayed the US as inheritors of Western civilization, citing the Greco-Persian Wars, and criticized Iran’s current leaders as fanatics running a death cult. The US and Israel have been at war with Iran since strikes launched on February 28, with ongoing naval blockade and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials responded by invoking Roman Emperor Valerian, captured by Persian forces.