Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday suggested that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu study history, after Netanyahu compared contemporary Iran to the Persians who tried to destroy the Jews in the story of the Purim holiday.
Netanyahu “neither is familiar with the history nor has studied the Torah," claimed Larijani, who was quoted by i24news as having told Iran's Fars news agency.
Larijani said Netanyahu "distorted the Iranians' pre-Islam historical era and attempted to misrepresent events.”
He also added, “Of course, nothing more than presenting such lies is expected from a wicked Zionist."
Larijani further stated that "ongoing adventurist actions" in the region were designed to "pave the way for the Zionist regime to complete dominance over the region."
The Iranian Speaker was referring to Netanyahu’s remarks in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
During the meeting, Netanyahu said Persia had made "an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed" some 2,500 years ago.
"Today there is an attempt by Persia's heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews," Netanyahu said.
Larijani is not the only Iranian official to blast Netanyahu’s comments. Also on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, took to Twitter to accuse Netanyahu of distorting history.
"To sell bigoted lies against a nation which has saved Jews 3 times, Netanyahu resorting to fake history & falsifying Torah. Force of habit," Zarif wrote.
"Once again, Benjamin Netanyahu not only distorts the realities of today, but also distorts the past -- including Jewish scripture. It is truly regrettable that bigotry gets to the point of making allegations against an entire nation which has saved Jews three times in its history. The Book of Esther tells of how Xerxes I saved Jews from a plot hatched by Haman the Agagite, which is marked on this very day; again, during the time of Cyrus the Great, an Iranian king saved the Jews -- this time from captivity in Babylon; and during the Second World War, when Jews were being slaughtered in Europe, Iran gladly took them in," he added.