US intelligence has briefed President Trump that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may be gay, prompting a stunned and amused reaction from the president during the session. Sources describe the claim as credible, rooted in details about Khamenei’s personal relationships and family concerns.
The revelation comes amid ongoing uncertainty about Khamenei’s health and location following recent airstrikes, with reports suggesting he could be in critical condition or even deceased.
President Trump was informed last week that US spy agencies believe Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is likely gay, and that his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, harbored doubts about his suitability to lead Iran because of it.
Trump briefed that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is probably gay – and president has priceless reaction https://t.co/FoqZWam61y pic.twitter.com/iJNEfe9zuP
— New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2026
Trump reacted with surprise and laughter, according to sources familiar with the briefing. Others in the room joined in, finding it “hilarious,” while one senior intelligence official “has not stopped laughing about it for days,” according to reports.
The claim was shared with The New York Post by two intelligence community officials and a third person close to the White House, all insisting on its credibility rather than it being disinformation aimed at undermining the new leader.
Intelligence indicates Khamenei has had a long-term sexual relationship with his childhood tutor, per two sources. A third source pointed to a relationship with someone who formerly worked for the Khamenei family.
Khamenei, believed wounded in the February 28 airstrike that killed his father and other family members, has made “aggressive” sexual overtures to men caring for him, possibly under heavy medication, one source added.
The information is said to be “derived from one of the most protected sources that the government has,” with one source noting, “The fact that this was elevated to the highest of high levels shows you there’s some confidence in this.”
Rumors about Khamenei’s sexuality have circulated in Iran since the May 2024 helicopter crash that killed then-President Ebrahim Raisi, seen as Ali Khamenei’s preferred successor. Within the US government, it’s been “a pretty closely held piece of information.”
Trump has previously called Khamenei a “lightweight” and an “unacceptable” choice to lead Iran, viewing him as resistant to US demands on nuclear and missile programs.
Elements of Khamenei’s personal life have surfaced before, potentially supporting the claims. A 2008 classified US diplomatic cable, published by WikiLeaks, described him being treated in the UK for impotence.
Favorite for Supreme Leader of Iran spent months being 'treated for impotency' in private UK hospitals, US intelligence reveals https://t.co/Onkad20ZfE
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 4, 2026
The cable stated Khamenei married “relatively late in life” — around age 30 — “reportedly due to an impotency problem treated and eventually resolved during three extended visits to the UK, at Wellington and Cromwell Hospitals, London.”
It added, “Mojtaba was expected by his family to produce children quickly, but needed a fourth visit to the UK for medical treatment; after a stay of two months, his wife became pregnant.”
Khamenei’s wife, Zahra, and teenage son, Mohammad Bagher, reportedly died in the airstrike, leaving him with another son and a daughter.
A CBS News report alluded to the issue, citing unspecified “issues” in Mojtaba’s “personal life” as a reason his father preferred another successor.
CBS: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly didn’t want his son Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed him because he was too stupid and was seen as “unqualified.”
— Overton (@overton_news) March 16, 2026
“CBS News is citing a U.S. Intelligence report that says the supreme leader who was killed on the first day of the U.S. and Israeli… pic.twitter.com/PB8VkxBGBV
One source explained, “His father and others suspected he was gay and that was something that people were spreading to try to stop his ascension.”
Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, with sodomy punishable by death, sometimes via public hangings from cranes. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an ally of the younger Khamenei, once claimed, “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals.”
One source justified revealing the information despite general reluctance to out individuals: “If there was ever a time where it was OK to out somebody, it would be when it’s a leader of a repressive Islamic theocracy that hangs gay people by cranes.”
CBS also noted that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly didn’t want his son to succeed him because he was too stupid and was seen as “unqualified.”
This intelligence briefing emerges against a backdrop of reports questioning Khamenei’s survival and condition. As previously covered, sources in Tehran claim he’s in a coma, has lost a leg, and suffered internal injuries from airstrikes, despite a statement attributed to him on state TV.
Other reports suggest he was evacuated to Russia for emergency surgery and remains there.
Is Iran's injured new supreme leader in Russia? Kuwaiti media claim he was flown to Moscow for leg surgery https://t.co/0xUiw52lny
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) March 15, 2026
The US has escalated efforts to locate him, issuing a $10 million bounty for information on his whereabouts and that of Ali Larijani, as detailed in this report. The Rewards for Justice program targets them as key IRGC figures directing global terrorism.
Khamenei’s current status remains unclear, with his whereabouts murky.
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