Iranian propaganda suffered an unexpected setback on the historical front. Trying to intimidate the United States with the grandeur of ancient Persia, the IRNA news agency published a map that showed Judea—but no „Palestine“.
In an attempt to respond to a harsh statement by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Iran potentially being sent back to the Stone Age, IRNA resorted to historical arguments.
The propagandists published a map of the Achaemenid Empire at its height, accompanied by a question challenging whether he was confident in his threats.
However, this grand gesture quickly turned into an ideological embarrassment for Tehran. The publication was removed almost immediately once the editors realized the scale of their mistake.
The authentic historical map from the time of the Persian kings, used by Iranian journalists, clearly showed Judea. More than 2,000 years ago, the Jewish presence in the Holy Land was an established historical fact, recorded even in the chronicles of their former rulers.
Even more ironic for modern Iranian propaganda is the complete absence of any mention of “Palestine” on this map, as the name was introduced by Roman conquerors much later in an attempt to erase the memory of the Jewish people from the region.
This incident demonstrates how history itself can undermine those who try to manipulate it. In their ambitions, the enemies of the Jewish people often fall into their own trap, inadvertently reinforcing the historical continuity of the Land of Israel. In this curious episode, Iran, in seeking to glorify its past, merely reminded the world that Judea has existed for millennia—and continues to exist today.