Iran on Thursday defended India and China, calling them “cradles of civilisation” after Donald Trump shared a talk show transcript that described the countries as “hellholes.” The Iranian embassy in Hyderabad posted on X, saying the real “hellhole” is led by a “war-criminal president” who threatened to destroy Iran’s civilisation, referring to Trump’s earlier warning that “a whole civilisation will die” if Tehran failed to meet his demands over ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump triggered Iran’s response by sharing a transcript of a conservative talk show hosted by Michael Savage, in which Savage criticised US birthright citizenship, alleged that migrants travel late in pregnancy to secure citizenship for their children and later sponsor relatives from countries such as India and China, described those countries in derogatory terms, argued that shifting immigration patterns are reshaping American society, and questioned the loyalty of immigrant communities to the United States.
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Iran flags US citizenship debate amid Trump-linked remarks
Michael Savage argued that voters should decide citizenship policies instead of courts or lawyers, pushing for greater public control over such laws. The debate over birthright citizenship continues in the United States, where the Trump administration has challenged its current interpretation and placed the matter before the US Supreme Court, keeping the issue politically and legally contested.
Observers regard India and China as among the world’s oldest continuous civilisations, with histories spanning over 4,000 years, while they see the United States as a comparatively young nation founded in 1776. US actions against Iran, including a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, are disrupting global energy markets; tightening Gulf flows are increasing supply risks for energy-dependent India, while China is relying on larger reserves and a more diversified energy mix to cushion the impact.
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