Iran official cites Persia’s defeat of Rome to frame standoff with US

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei invoked the Roman emperor Marcus Julius Philippus in a pointed message directed at Washington, saying that when Rome marched east against Persia, it was ultimately forced to make peace on Sasanian terms.

Baghaei, who holds a doctorate from Tehran University, has frequently referenced historical and literary figures in his public comments.

In a recent opinion article, he cited the 12th-century Persian poet Farid al-Din Attar, arguing that a civilisation that “plays fast and loose with its principles” is a declining one.

In the Roman mind, Rome was the undisputed center of the world. Yet the Iranians shattered that illusion; when Marcus Julius Philippus (Philip the Arab) marched east against Persia, the campaign did not result in Roman victory — it ended in a peace established on Sasanian terms:… pic.twitter.com/hLSqAUzb7p

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) May 23, 2026