Well, it appears at least one Iranian won’t have to worry about being thrown from a roof for being gay. President Donald Trump reportedly learned that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei might be playing for the other team.
Iran announced its new leader on March 8, after his father was blown to pieces during U.S. airstrikes. The new leader has not yet made a public appearance. But if the New York Post’s report is accurate, it could be because he is still hiding in the closet.
President Trump was stunned to learn last week that US intelligence indicates new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay — and that his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, feared his suitability to rule the Islamic Republic for that reason, The Post can reveal.
Trump couldn’t contain his surprise and laughed aloud when he was briefed on the intel, according to sources.
Others in the room also found it “hilarious” and joined the president’s reaction, while one senior intelligence official “has not stopped laughing about it for days,” said one person familiar with the briefing.
The shocking claim was described to The Post by two intelligence community officials and a third person close to the White House.
All three sources say the implausible-sounding allegation is viewed as credible by US spy agencies, rather than false information intended to undermine Khamenei, 56, who was selected to replace his dead father as supreme leader on March 8.
Two of the sources said the intelligence indicated that Mojtaba, who earned the nickname “the power behind the robes” while serving as his aging dad’s gatekeeper, has had a long-term sexual relationship with his childhood tutor.
The third source said the intelligence indicated the affair was with a person who formerly worked for the Khamenei family.
Recommended
Of course, if the rumors are true, it might be more apt to refer to Khamenei as “the power bottom behind the robes.”
The State Department’s file on Khamenei suggested Mojtaba married later in life “due to an impotency problem treated and eventually resolved during three extended visits to the UK.”
Gaytollah Homomani
— 0HOUR1 (@0hour1) March 16, 2026
When Iranians find out the new Ayatollah is gay: https://t.co/q0CydPcUGv pic.twitter.com/Q5gOY9z2mM
— Prison Mitch (@Prisonmitch) March 16, 2026
The now-deceased Iranian Supreme Leader reportedly wanted a different son to succeed him. One source told The Post that they “suspected he was gay and that was something that people were spreading to try to stop his ascension.”
In his first major statement after taking power, Khamenei threatened the United States and its Arab allies. He declared that Iran would launch attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East and Persian Gulf if they are not closed.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member