They did say that: Trump says CIA told him Iran’s new Supreme Leader is gay

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked whether the CIA, the country’s premier foreign intelligence agency, had conveyed such information to him. “Well, they did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them,” the US President responded, suggesting that the claim was not limited to intelligence inputs alone.

Read Full StoryThe US President further said that “a lot of people are saying that,” adding that it could put the newly appointed leader off to a “bad start” in Iran, an apparent reference to the country’s strict laws criminalising homosexuality.

The remarks came days after reports claimed that President Donald Trump was surprised to learn that Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay, with intelligence briefings suggesting that his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had harboured concerns about his suitability to lead the Islamic Republic on that basis.

In Iran, homosexuality is illegal and considered a major crime under the country’s Islamic Penal Code.

Expanding on the topic, Trump criticised what he described as support among some groups for Palestine despite the region’s stance on LGBTQ rights. He claimed that individuals identifying as “gays for Palestine” were backing regimes that, according to him, persecute and execute homosexuals, including by throwing them off buildings.

“They kill them instantly. They throw them off buildings, and I’m saying, who are the Gays for Palestine? And they have a significant amount of Gays for Palestine,” he told Fox News.

Trump also referred to his own electoral support among LGBTQ voters, stating that he had performed strongly with the “gay vote” compared to previous Republican candidates. He added that he had used what he described as a “gay national anthem” during his campaign events, suggesting it may have contributed to his appeal among some voters.

Iran elected Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israeli military strike on February 28, an attack that has since spiralled into a regional war in the Middle East. Mojtaba was reportedly present during the strikes and is believed to have narrowly survived, though he has largely remained out of public view since the escalation.

– Ends

Tune In