Iran has come down heavily on US President Donald Trump for sharing a video calling India and China "hellholes" amid the birthright citizenship debate in US.
In a post on X, Iran's Consulate General in Hyderabad defended India and China as historic civilisations.
"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," the post read.
Similarly, Iran's Consulate General in Mumbai shared a video on Maharashtra's cultural and geographical heritage, and said Trump should visit the state for a "cultural detox". The post added, "Kabhi India aa ke dekho, phir bolna".
The reactions came after Trump shared a video featuring conservative author and radio host Michael Savage, in which Savage sharply criticizes the concept of birthright citizenship.
In the podcast, Savage' referred to India, China and some other countries as "hell-holes" and called for changes in the US’ birthright citizenship law. He also termed Indian and Chinese immigrants as "gangsters with laptops" who have "stepped on our flag.
The clip, originally broadcast on Savage’s Newsmax program The Savage Nation, was reposted by a Truth Social account that amplifies the president’s online activity. In the video, Savage argues that current interpretations of birthright citizenship laws allow immigrants to exploit the system by entering the United States late in pregnancy so their children are born as citizens.
In the clip, Savage claimed that the practice creates a loophole in which a child born in the United States automatically gains citizenship, after which extended family members can later immigrate. He referred to India, China and other nations as "hell-holes" from where people bring their entire family to the US.
Later, the US went into a damage control mode by putting out a message that the President believes India is a "great" country led by a "good friend of mine".
In a sharp response to Trump, the Centre on Thursday remarked that the comments are ‘uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste’.
Responding to the controversial remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that it does not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.
“We have seen the comments, as also the subsequent statement issued by the US Embassy in response. The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” said Jaiswal.