{
  "id": 13369764,
  "title": "Senior Iranian officials hit back at Rubio after Athens speech",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/senior-iranian-officials-hit-back-at-rubio-after-athens-speech",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T08:55:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/senior-iranian-officials-hit-back-rubio-after-athens-speech"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Senior Iranian officials have harshly criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks during a speech in Athens, drawing parallels between ancient conflicts and current tensions between Tehran and Washington. Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's national security commission, accused Rubio of hypocrisy, stating that a country with a history of violence and colonialism should not criticize Iran's ancient Achaemenid civilization, which established the world's first human rights declaration. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, called Rubio's speech contradictory, emphasizing that his opposition is not to the Islamic Revolution but to Iran's strong and independent civilization. Velayati denounced Rubio's portrayal of Iranian steadfastness as a \"death cult,\" arguing that glorifying resistance in one's own nation while despising it in others is not civilization but a philosophy in service of domination. Velayati added that the nation responsible for disasters in places like Hiroshima, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan has no right to lecture on morality.",
  "summary": "Senior Iranian officials hit back at Rubio after Athens speech Senior Iranian officials have criticised the comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Iranian history during a speech in Athens on Wednesday in which he drew parallels between ancient Greco-Persian conflicts and modern tensions between Tehran and Washington. Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}