A U.S. intelligence report suggested Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s incoming supreme leader, may be a homosexual, the New York Post reports. The intelligence report indicated that Mojtaba’s father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, feared he wasn’t suitable to succeed him for that reason. The outlet reported that Trump laughed aloud when briefed on the intelligence. Others in the room reportedly found the report “hilarious” and joined Trump’s laughter. Trump briefed that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is probably gay – and president has priceless reaction https://t.co/FoqZWam61y pic.twitter.com/iJNEfe9zuP — New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2026 More from the New York Post: 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. Mojtaba, who is believed to have been wounded in the same Feb. 28 airstrike that killed his father and other members of his family, has made “aggressive” sexual overtures to men caring for him, possibly while under the influence of heavy medication, one of The Post’s sources said. US spy agencies do not have photographic evidence of Mojtaba Khamenei’s alleged sexual attraction to men, but the sources insisted the tip is solid, with one saying it was “derived from one of the most protected sources that the government has.” “The fact that this was elevated to the highest of high levels shows you there’s some confidence in this,” one source told the outlet. Another said, “it’s been a pretty closely held piece of information.” “The intelligence was sourced from one of the CIA’s most protected assets,” Mario Nawfal wrote. Trump reportedly burst out laughing when briefed that Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay. The intelligence was sourced from one of the CIA's most protected assets. His father allegedly considered it a disqualifying factor for leadership. The CIA… https://t.co/Sswh7B3dNn pic.twitter.com/gBAyvrAHNx — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 16, 2026 Daily Mail shared further: Ali Khamenei was ‘aware that his son had issues in his personal life,’ US intelligence sources told CBS on Sunday, in an earlier allusion to the allegation. He was also wary of Mojtaba taking power because he believed he was unintelligent. Trump reportedly dismissed the classified briefing as irrelevant, with Iran appearing rudderless regardless. Mojtaba has meanwhile been absent from public view, fueling rumors of injury or death. Since being elected by the mullahs on March 8, his only public comments have been a statement read out by a presenter on state TV. Mojtaba was secretly flown to Moscow for surgery and is recuperating in the presidential compound, Kuwaiti media reported at the weekend, citing high-ranking Iranian sources. His wife and teenage son were reportedly killed in the strikes that killed his father. He has another son and daughter. Rumors about his sexual orientation have circulated in Iran since at least May 2024, when a helicopter crash killed President Ebrahim Raisi, who had been the favorite to succeed as supreme leader. ‘His father and others suspected he was gay and that was something that people were spreading to try to stop his ascension,’ a source told the Post.