Iran hits back at US President Donald Trump’s “hellhole” comment in which it called India and China cradles of civilisation amid ongoing US-Iran tensions. Scroll down for details.
Published: April 23, 2026 4:22 PM IST
Iran-US Conflict: Iran has strongly defended India and China after the US President Donald Trump shared a post which was controversial. Trump referred to the two countries as “hellholes” and called them the “cradle of civilisation”. Iran has now given a sharp reply against the remark of the US president, which has resulted in triggering a new online diplomatic debate. The response was shared on X by the Iranian embassy in Hyderabad, which said that India and China represent some of the oldest and richest civilisations in the world.
How did the controversy emerge?
It began when US President Donald Trump shared a transcript from a talk show. The show was hosted by conservative commentator Michael Savage. The discussion highlighted the criticism of Savage for the immigration policies and called the two countries, India and China, “hellholes”.
How did Iran respond to Trump’s statement?
“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,” wrote the Iranian Embassy in Hydearabad on X.
The embassy’s reaction added that such statements reflect poorly on those who make them. Furthermore, it appeared to indirectly criticise what Trump had said earlier.
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
Tensions in West Asia
This comes at a time when the tensions remain high because of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. The conflict, which began on February 28, emerged when the US and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran, leading to the death of the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Later, his son Mojtaba Khamenei was declared the new supreme leader. The tensions in West Asia have led to the disruption of global oil supplies.
The conflict has led to the killing of several top officials, like the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, security chief Ali Larijani, defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour, supreme leader’s advisor Ali Samkhani, and chief of staff Abdol Rahim Mousavi. Now, the spokesperson of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, has also been killed.
