Decoding the clever response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson to the President of the United States.

Ismail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, using diplomatic language and a clever reference to a story from Ubayd Zakani, in response to a journalist's question about "why Iran's Foreign Ministry does not reciprocate Donald Trump's recent insulting remarks," said:

"Let us remain Iranian; we have our own character and I don't think we should take example from the indecent speech and behavior of others. As Ubayd Zakani said, 'Our actions and deeds, and their claims.'"

This response by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, with a subtle reference to the classical satire of Ubayd Zakani, without resorting to crude insulting language or rhetoric, did not receive close attention.

The story Baghaei referred to is one of Ubayd Zakani's most famous tales:

"A man took a beardless youth home, gave him a coin, and said: 'Lie down so I may sleep with you.' The youth said: 'I have heard that you bring beardless youths home so that they may lie with you.' He said: 'Yes, the action is with me, and the claim is with them. You too lie down, and then go and say whatever you want.'"

A line-by-line translation of this story is:

A man took a beardless young man home, gave him a coin, and said: "Lie down so I may sleep with you."

The young man said: "I have heard that you bring young men home so that they may sleep with you, not that you sleep with them."

The man replied: "That's right; the deed and reality are with me, but the talk and claims are with others. You lie down too, then go and say whatever you want about me!"

The moral of this story is that there is a clear difference between "action" and "noise and claims," and sometimes the one who shouts the most and accuses others is the one most exposed to judgment.

Baghaei's remarks came as Trump had recently made moral allegations against the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.