The White House communications director reposted a New York Post article claiming U.S. intelligence believes Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay. No U.S. agency has publicly confirmed the allegation, and no independent, credible outlet has substantiated the Post’s account.
A senior White House official promoted a tabloid report alleging that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is gay — a claim that has not been corroborated by independent reporting or any public statement from U.S. intelligence agencies.
Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, shared the New York Post story on X and wrote, “Some interesting reporting coming out of Tehran these days,” according to the Daily Wire, which amplified Cheung’s post and summarized the Post’s allegations.
The New York Post article asserted, citing unnamed “intelligence sources” and a person described as close to the White House, that U.S. spy agencies consider the allegation credible. The Post further claimed Trump reacted with laughter when briefed on the allegation. Neither the White House nor U.S. intelligence agencies have publicly confirmed the purported assessment or described such a briefing.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was named Iran’s supreme leader in early March after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in strikes widely reported as involving the United States and Israel. Multiple international outlets have reported Mojtaba’s elevation by Iran’s Assembly of Experts and described him as a powerful insider long viewed as a potential successor. Some U.S. and international reporting has also described him as “the power behind the robes,” a nickname traced to U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks.
The Post’s report included additional specific assertions about Mojtaba Khamenei’s alleged relationships and purported behavior while recovering from injuries — details that remain unverified and are not supported by any public evidence cited by the Daily Wire. No publicly available documentation from U.S. intelligence agencies has been produced to support the Post’s claims.
The controversy has drawn attention in part because Iran’s laws criminalize same-sex sexual conduct. Major human-rights organizations have long documented Iran’s prosecution of LGBTQ people and the use of harsh penalties under the Islamic Republic’s legal system, including executions in some cases.
As of mid-March, the White House had not issued a formal statement addressing the Post’s allegations or explaining why a senior communications official amplified the report.
