US President Donald Trump’s recent expletive-laden demand to open the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a coordinated wave of mockery from Iranian diplomatic missions across the globe.
The row began on Sunday when Trump posted an unusually blunt message on Truth Social, using vulgar language to warn of “Hell” if the waterway was not opened immediately.
Iranian embassies swiftly capitalised on the outburst, delivering a series of pointed and often wry responses to the US leader’s remarks.
The Iranian Embassy in India led the charge by sharing a screenshot of the post and describing Trump’s conduct as the behaviour of “sore loser brats,” while advising the “old man” to “get a grip.”
Global mockery of presidential decorum
The Iranian Embassy in the United Kingdom invoked a famous quote attributed to Mark Twain, suggesting it is better for one to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
The mission also highlighted a British Member of Parliament’s criticism of Trump’s use of the phrase “Praise be to Allah,” describing his conduct as a “sign of weakness and sickness.” In a more whimsical rebuttal, the embassy in Zimbabwe claimed it had “lost the keys” to the Strait.
This theme was later adopted by the South African mission, which joked that the “key’s under the flowerpot” for “friends,” while listing countries for whom the waterway supposedly remains open.
Tajikistan’s representatives offered sarcastic “congratulations” for Trump’s supposedly delayed understanding of the situation, while Bulgaria’s embassy shared an animation depicting the waterway choking the American leader.
Warnings of war crimes
More serious criticisms emerged from other missions, with the Iranian Embassy in South Africa suggesting the invocation of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution—a mechanism used to remove a President unable to discharge their duties.
The mission stated that humanity should see “what kind of creatures” are leading the United States, asserting that the American public deserves better.
Meanwhile, the embassy in Austria accused Trump of stooping to an “unprecedented level of begging” and issued a reminder that targeting civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime. The Austrian mission further advised the public to “shield all minors” from the President’s rhetoric.
Allegations of national decline
In Bangkok, the Iranian mission questioned if Trump’s language represented the “best and finest” of a US President, describing the United States as a “blood-thirsty empire in decline.”
The mission further criticised the use of religious terms by what it described as Trump’s “Najis,” or unclean, mouth, claiming his teenage-like swearing indicated the US had reached the “Stone Age.”
The Iranian Embassy in Finland maintained a polite but firm tone, advising Trump not to rely on potentially unverified information from “newly appointed military generals.”
The Finnish mission concluded that the Strait remains open, though access is influenced by hostility, and remarked that the President’s tone suggested his accounts were being handled by individuals lacking proper social media etiquette.
