US President Donald Trump has drawn criticism online after making controversial remarks about Iranians during an interview with Fox News, where he claimed that “most” Iranians share the same first name and said the US could identify and monitor them from space. Speaking during an interview aired Friday evening, Trump discussed the surveillance capabilities of the US Space Force while referring to Iran and its nuclear infrastructure. The interview was conducted during his trip to China, where he also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump Says Space Force Can Identify People From Space
During the conversation with Fox News host Bret Baier, Trump claimed the US had extensive surveillance systems focused on Iran.
“Space Force, which I created, has got cameras — nine different cameras — in space on that site,” Trump said. “We know everybody that moves there. We can read the name of a person.”
He then made remarks that quickly triggered reactions across social media platforms.
Trump on Iranian officials: “If his name is Mohammed something. And most of them are Mohammad. You can guess about 50% right.” pic.twitter.com/aSfkBkVgWP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 15, 2026
“If his name is Mohammed something, and most of ’em are Mohammed, you can guess about 50 percent right, we can read his name right on his tag from space,” Trump said.
In another part of the interview, Trump added that authorities would “tag” such individuals in Iran.
Many users online described the comments as racist and offensive. Muhammad is widely regarded as one of the most common names globally, including across several Muslim-majority countries.
Trump’s China Visit
Trump, after his China visit, said Xi had expressed interest in helping broker peace related to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
“He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open,” Trump said while referring to Xi. China remains one of the largest buyers of Iranian oil.
Trump further stated that Xi wanted the conflict to come to an end and indicated that diplomatic discussions were continuing behind the scenes.
Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
Even before his China visit, Trump had delivered strong remarks directed at Iran during another interview with Hannity, warning that Tehran would face destruction if it refused to reach an agreement with the United States.
“Now, they can make a deal, or they get annihilated,” Trump said.
“It’s all just a question of time. If we wanted, we could have gone for another few weeks. It would have been over,” he added.
Trump further claimed that he had held back action at the request of leaders friendly to Iran.
“I did that at the request of a lot of leaders that are friendly with them. It’s not going to matter for them. They’re finished,” he stated.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
