US President Donald Trump has stirred fresh controversy by claiming that American intelligence had told him Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is gay. He made the statement without offering any proof.
The remark comes at a sensitive time in West Asia, with tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel continuing to escalate. Trump also used the same interview to declare that Washington had already achieved military victory over Tehran, signalling a sharply aggressive stance on the conflict.
What Trump said about Iran’s leadership
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said intelligence agencies had indicated this about Khamenei, though he added that he could not confirm if the information came only from the CIA.
“Well, they did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them,” he said.
He went on to suggest that “many people” were making similar claims, adding that it would put Iran’s new leader at a disadvantage domestically, a reference to Iran’s strict laws.
“I think a lot of people are saying that. Which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country,” Trump stated.
In Iran, homosexuality is illegal and punishable under Islamic law, making such allegations particularly sensitive.
Earlier, a report by The New York Post had said Trump appeared surprised during a briefing when US intelligence raised the possibility, even reacting with laughter, according to unnamed sources.
‘We have already won the war’: Trump’s military claims
In the same interview, Trump made sweeping claims about the ongoing conflict, asserting that the United States had already defeated Iran on the battlefield.
“We have already won the war, militarily. We have totally won the war,” he said.
He said the joint US and Israeli strikes had hit Iran hard, especially weakening its navy and reducing its ability to fire missiles.
According to Trump, Iranian forces had suffered heavy losses, including ships, aircraft, and missile systems. He claimed that a large portion of Iran’s missile infrastructure had been destroyed, leaving the country with only a small fraction of its earlier capacity.
“We knocked out their navy, we knocked out their air force… and most of their missiles,” he said, adding that missile launch systems had also been hit.
Trump even remarked that some of the destroyed naval assets could have been taken instead of being sunk, suggesting they were valuable.