Washington, D.C., March 27 — President Donald Trump told Fox News on Thursday that the Central Intelligence Agency had informed him that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is gay.
Asked whether the CIA had conveyed that information, Trump replied, “Well, they did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them,” and added that “a lot of people are saying that.” He suggested the claim would be a “bad start” given Iran’s strict laws against homosexuality. Trump did not present evidence to support the assertion.
Under Iran’s interpretation of Sharia law, consensual same-sex relations are illegal and can carry severe penalties.
A prior New York Post report cited sources who said Trump appeared surprised and laughed when briefed by U.S. intelligence about the allegation concerning Mojtaba Khamenei.
In the same Fox News interview, Trump also asserted that the United States has “already won the war, militarily,” saying U.S. and Israeli strikes have significantly degraded Iran’s naval and missile capabilities. He claimed U.S.-led operations had destroyed many Iranian ships and “knocked out” most of their missiles, saying Iran’s remaining missile capacity was “down to about 9%.”
Trump’s comments about both the supreme leader’s sexual orientation and the state of Iran’s military were presented as his statements; independent verification was not provided in the interview. This report is based on a syndicated feed and the original statements as broadcast.
