Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has invoked the ancient defeat of Rome by Sasanian king Shapur I to counter an attempt by US officials to frame the aggression against Iran as a civilizational war.

Rezaei made the remarks in response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech in Athens, where he invoked Western civilization and made insulting comments about Iran and its civilization.

“When they go to Athens after defeat and humiliation before Iran to shape a narrative of a civilizational war, it would be better for them to read another important part of history: where the Roman emperor knelt before Shapur I of the Sasanian Empire,” he wrote.

He added that “Whoever brings history into it must be ready for its repetition!”

Rezaei’s response invoked one of the most significant military episodes in ancient Iranian history, countering the US official’s civilizational framing by recalling a time when the Sasanian Empire inflicted a major defeat on the Roman Empire.

Shapur I, who ruled the Sasanian Empire from 241 to 272 AD, fought several campaigns against Rome and expanded Persian influence across Mesopotamia and parts of the eastern Mediterranean. In 260 AD, his forces defeated the Roman army near Edessa, in present-day Türkiye, and captured Emperor Valerian, who had led the campaign against Persia.

Valerian’s capture was an extraordinary event in Roman history. He became the first Roman emperor to be taken prisoner by a foreign enemy. Shapur commemorated the victory in monumental rock reliefs, including at Naqsh-e Rustam near Persepolis, where Valerian is depicted kneeling before the Sasanian king. The scene became a lasting symbol of the empire’s military triumph over Rome.

Rezaei’s reference to the episode came against the backdrop of repeated threats by US President Donald Trump since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.

On April 1, Trump threatened to bombard Iran and said US forces would “bring them back to the stone ages,” referring to intensified terrorist attacks over the following two to three weeks. He also threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and other infrastructure.

Days later, on April 7, Trump issued an even broader warning, declaring that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran failed to meet his demands. The statement drew international attention amid fears of further escalation and threats against critical infrastructure.

Failing to achieve any of its war aims against Iran, the US has resorted to economic pressure on the Iranian nation. Meanwhile, US officials have stepped up their threats of renewed attacks against Iran in recent weeks.

Tehran, for its part, has made clear that it is prepared to respond decisively to any act of aggression.