Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Baqaei said Rubio’s speech and his choice of venue should be viewed in this context.
“Presenting an inverted image of historical events to justify America’s warmongering is both dangerous and an injustice to Greek culture and civilization,” he said.
Baqaei added that Rubio had inadvertently acknowledged certain historical realities, including the enduring nature of Iran as a concept, an idea and an ethos that has survived for thousands of years.
He further noted that Iranian and Muslim scholars had played a significant role in preserving, translating and interpreting Greek philosophical thought during the Middle Ages, helping shape the intellectual foundations of the modern West.
“Iranian civilization has always established itself and endured through connecting and building,” the spokesman said.
Responding to repeated statements by the U.S. president that the Strait of Hormuz had returned to normal and Iran had lost leverage over the strategic waterway, Baqaei said Washington’s assertions did not match developments on the ground.
“The Americans’ claims have no correspondence with what we are witnessing on the ground. They can keep saying that the Strait of Hormuz no longer matters and that Iran has lost its leverage. We will continue doing what we are doing,” he said.
Baqaei also said Iran was reviewing Washington’s response to its seven-day proposal and would convey its position to mediators once the assessment was complete, adding that the exchange of messages through intermediaries was continuing.
He said the proposal, presented on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, addresses Iran’s legitimate rights, including the lifting of the naval blockade, an end to the war on all fronts, the release of Iranian assets and the implementation of all commitments agreed upon under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
“The circumstances have not changed in a way that would require us to show flexibility regarding our rights,” Baqaei said.
He stressed that the U.S. must also lift all new sanctions imposed during this period.
The spokesman also pointed to what he described as a contradiction in Washington’s position on Iran’s nuclear program, noting that U.S. officials had repeatedly declared that the program had been destroyed while continuing to raise concerns about an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons threat.
Responding to Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei’s remarks that the U.S. response was inadequate, Baqaei said the assessment was correct.
He added that Iran had repeatedly and explicitly called for an end to U.S. interventionist actions and had conveyed its position to the American side through mediators.
Baqaei said Tehran was still examining the points raised by Washington and would communicate its response to the mediators as soon as the review was completed.
Hossein Amiri - Hossein Vaez
