Explanation: The Achaemenid (left) and Sassanid (right) dynasties of the Persian Empire were immensely successful states of Classical Antiquity, contemporary with the heyday of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and whose heartlands roughly correspond to modern Iran. As the meme points out, both of those dynasties were accomplished, innovative, and respected.

Iran is currently under a... less-than-fantastic theocratic regime which is struggling with internal dissent. One hopes that the current protests topple the government without being co-opted by certain unsavory foreign powers, especially, at present, Israel or the US.