Donald Trump has claimed US intelligence officials briefed him that Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is gay, making the remarks during a Fox News interview in which he described the assessment as widely held and suggested it would create difficulties for Khamenei within the hardline Islamic republic.
Asked whether the CIA had made the assessment, Trump replied: “They did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them. I think a lot of people are saying that, which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country.” Trump has previously dismissed Khamenei as a “lightweight” and described him as an “unacceptable” choice to lead Iran.
The New York Post had earlier this month reported that US intelligence believed Khamenei had been in a long-term relationship with a male childhood tutor. Sources cited by the publication said the information was “derived from one of the most protected sources that the government has” and that its elevation to senior officials suggested “there’s some confidence in this.” No photographic evidence has been produced to support the claims, which remain unverified.
CBS News also alluded to the matter, reporting that Khamenei’s late father had harboured concerns about unspecified “issues” in his son’s “personal life” when considering a successor. According to one source, suspicions about Khamenei’s sexuality had circulated at senior levels and were invoked by some figures to attempt to block his rise to power.
Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry severe punishments including, in certain cases, the death penalty. The country has faced sustained international criticism over its treatment of gay men, including documented cases of public executions. Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously denied the existence of homosexuality in Iran during a 2007 address.
Some details of Khamenei’s personal life have previously entered the public domain. A classified US diplomatic cable from 2008, later published by WikiLeaks, stated he had received treatment in the United Kingdom for impotence, with multiple visits to London hospitals before the condition was resolved. The cable noted he had married relatively late for someone of his background, around the age of 30.
Khamenei’s current whereabouts and health remain uncertain following the February 28 airstrikes. He is widely regarded as unlikely to accede to US demands to abandon Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
