U.S. President Donald Trump said he was briefed by U.S. intelligence that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay, in remarks aired Thursday on Fox News.
Speaking on “The Five,” Trump was asked directly whether the CIA had provided such information.
Trump: CIA told him Mojtaba Khamenei is gay
(Video: Fox News)
“Well, they did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them,” Trump said. “I think a lot of people are saying that, which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country.”
The claim was first reported earlier this month by the New York Post, which cited two sources in the intelligence community and a third source close to the White House. According to the report, intelligence presented in a briefing to Trump suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay. It was also reported that Mojtaba's alleged homosexuality was one of the reasons his father, former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opposed him as a potential successor.