In a post on X, the Iranian Embassy in Hyderabad said, “China and India are the cradles of civilisation. In fact, the #hellhole is where its war-criminal president threatened to decimate civilisation in Iran.”
China and India are the cradles of Civilization. In fact, the #hellhole is where its war-criminal president threatened to decimate the civilization in Iran.
— Iran In Hyderabad (@IraninHyderabad) April 23, 2026
The remark was a response to Trump’s earlier warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran did not comply with US demands to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
What Trump Said?
The controversy began after Trump shared excerpts from a programme hosted by Michael Savage, who was criticising US birthright citizenship. During the discussion, Savage claimed migrants travel to the United States late in pregnancy to secure citizenship for their children, later bringing in family members from countries such as India and China, which he referred to as “some other hellhole on the planet.”
“A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring in their entire family from China, or India, or some other hell-hole on the planet,” he wrote in the letter.
The letter also described Indian and Chinese immigrants as “gangsters with laptops” who have “stepped on our flag”.
“They’ve done more damage to this nation than all the mafia families put together. In my unhumble opinion. Gangsters with laptops. They’ve robbed us blind, treated us like second-class citizens, let the ‘turd world’ triumph, stepped on our flag, et cetera,” he wrote.
He also argued that immigration trends were reshaping American society and criticised the US Constitution as outdated for the modern era.
Savage further accused immigrant communities of lacking loyalty to the United States and suggested that citizenship policies should be decided by public vote rather than courts. He also targeted the American Civil Liberties Union, accusing it of supporting undocumented migrants.
Trump’s Reshared Post Links To Birthright Citizenship
The issue ties into an ongoing legal and political debate in the United States over birthright citizenship, which grants nationality to most people born on US soil. The Trump administration has challenged this interpretation, with the matter currently before the Supreme Court.
India and China, widely regarded as among the world’s oldest continuous civilisations with histories spanning over 4,000 years, stand in contrast to the relatively young United States, founded in 1776.
The episode also comes amid wider geopolitical tensions. US pressure on Iran, including a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, has disrupted global energy markets. While China is relatively insulated due to larger reserves and a diversified energy mix, India—heavily dependent on energy imports—faces greater exposure, particularly in liquefied petroleum gas supplies.
