Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei responded without flinching: “US officials have been trying to intimidate Iranians with such literature for 48 years. But Iranians are not going to be subdued by such deadlines in defending their country.”

What Trump called “a civilization that will never be brought back” is the Persian Empire: one of the oldest and most influential civilizations in human history, with over 5,000 years of documented existence. Persepolis was founded before Rome existed. When America’s founders signed their independence 250 years ago, Persia had already spent millennia building empires, poetry, science, and architecture.

Iran survived Alexander the Great, the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, an 8-year Western-backed Iraqi invasion, decades of sanctions, and now 39 days of bombing by the two most powerful militaries on Earth. Its president said 14 million people, including himself, are willing to die defending their country.