By Seyed Mohammad Torabi

From Athens to Anger

Why Rubio's history lesson backfired in Iran

TEHRAN – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's October 7 speech at the Pnyx hill in Athens, in which he invoked ancient Greece to call for Western revival and labeled the Islamic Republic of Iran a "cult of death," has triggered a wave of angry reactions across Iran — from senior officials and former diplomats to academics, newspapers, and social media users.