A stunning intelligence claim about Iran’s newly installed supreme leader reportedly caught President Donald Trump and senior officials off guard during a recent briefing, triggering disbelief and laughter inside the room.
According to multiple sources familiar with the briefing, U.S. intelligence officials informed Trump that Mojtaba Khamenei — the 56-year-old cleric who assumed power after the death of his father, longtime Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — may be gay. The allegation, described by officials as sensitive intelligence, has circulated quietly within parts of the U.S. intelligence community.
Sources told the New York Post that Trump reacted with visible surprise when the information was presented during a briefing last week. The president reportedly laughed aloud after hearing the claim, with several others in the room reacting similarly. One senior intelligence official, according to a person familiar with the meeting, “has not stopped laughing about it for days.”
Three individuals with knowledge of the intelligence — including two officials connected to the intelligence community and another source close to the White House — said U.S. agencies consider the information credible enough to brief senior leadership. The allegation, they said, is not believed to be a simple disinformation effort aimed at undermining the Iranian leader.
Two sources said the intelligence suggests Mojtaba Khamenei may have had a long-term sexual relationship with a childhood tutor. Another source said the relationship may have involved a person who at one point worked for the Khamenei family.
Officials also reportedly indicated that Khamenei, who was injured during a Feb. 28 airstrike that killed several members of his family, including his father, may have made aggressive advances toward male medical staff while recovering from his wounds. One source suggested those actions could have occurred while he was heavily medicated.
U.S. intelligence officials reportedly do not possess photographic evidence confirming the claim. However, one source told the outlet the information came from “one of the most protected sources that the government has,” suggesting the intelligence community places significant weight on the report.
Whispers about Mojtaba Khamenei’s personal life have circulated inside Iran before. According to sources, speculation intensified following the May 2024 helicopter crash that killed then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who had been widely viewed as the preferred successor to Ali Khamenei.
A previously classified U.S. diplomatic cable from 2008, later published by WikiLeaks, also referenced medical treatment Mojtaba received in the United Kingdom for impotence. The cable noted he married relatively late — around age 30 — and underwent multiple medical visits before eventually having children with his wife.
Mojtaba’s wife Zahra and one of their sons reportedly died in the Feb. 28 airstrike that killed the elder Khamenei. The new Iranian leader is believed to have two surviving children.
The allegations carry explosive implications inside Iran, where homosexual conduct is illegal and can carry severe punishment. Iranian law treats sodomy as a capital offense, and the country has long faced international criticism over executions related to same-sex activity.
The issue has historically been denied outright by Iranian leaders. In 2007, then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously declared during a visit to the United States, “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals.”
Despite the intelligence claims circulating within U.S. government circles, Mojtaba Khamenei’s current whereabouts remain unclear following the February airstrikes, and Iranian officials have provided few updates about his recovery or condition.
