Iran’s newly declared “Supreme Leader,” Mojtaba Khamenei, is at the center of growing confusion and ridicule after vanishing from public view amid Operation Epic Fury, with reports surfacing about wounds, secret medical history, and explosive personal allegations that could destabilize a fragile regime already under pressure.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not shown up in public since the start of the offensive, and even staged ceremonies relied on photographs rather than a live presence. Officials say he was wounded but “in condition to lead,” while state media sometimes read his speeches for him, deepening doubts about his visibility and control. That absence has spawned mocking memes portraying him as a cardboard stand-in, an image that sticks when a supposed leader cannot appear in person.
A reported section of his father’s will reportedly expressed a lack of confidence in Mojtaba, citing concerns about his fitness to rule and personal issues, claims that add to the narrative of a shaky succession. Journalistic accounts mention past medical notes, including a 2008 cable released by WikiLeaks alleging treatment for impotence in the U.K., which fuels questions about his capacity to fulfill traditional expectations of leadership. Those past assessments keep resurfacing at a moment when Iran needs a visible, authoritative figure.
More destabilizing are intelligence reports suggesting a long-term same-sex relationship in Mojtaba’s past, an allegation that, if true, could spark severe backlash inside a country that punishes homosexual behavior harshly. Such claims were said to have been elevated to senior U.S. briefing levels, prompting incredulous reactions in the room. The cultural and legal context inside Iran makes these allegations not just personal but potentially explosive for the regime’s internal cohesion.
Trump couldn’t contain his surprise and laughed aloud when he was briefed on the intel, according to sources.
Others in the room also found it “hilarious” and joined the president’s reaction, while one senior intelligence official “has not stopped laughing about it for days,” said one person familiar with the briefing.
Sources claimed U.S. intelligence agencies treated the allegation as credible rather than a plant meant to discredit Mojtaba. Two of the sources reportedly described intelligence suggesting a long-term sexual relationship with his childhood tutor, and a third source said the affair was with a person who formerly worked for the Khamenei family. Officials noted that elevating the claim to the highest levels implied some confidence in the underlying reporting.
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.
That intelligence reportedly included files and past cables that fleshed out the personal questions already raised by the will and by the WikiLeaks material. One cited comment from a source said, “The fact that this was elevated to the highest of high levels shows you there’s some confidence in this.” Such phrasing suggests U.S. analysts judged the material worth briefing senior officials and the president.
“The fact that this was elevated to the highest of high levels shows you there’s some confidence in this,” added a second source.
Whatever the truth, these revelations are likely to complicate an already volatile power picture in Tehran, where the regime is facing intense military pressure and internal instability. A leader who cannot appear publicly, who faces questions about fitness and character, and who is tied to allegations that would be damning in Iran, raises the stakes for rival factions jockeying for influence. Intelligence disclosures about the personal life of a ruler can be weaponized inside authoritarian systems where reputation and religious legitimacy matter profoundly.
Domestically, the regime now has to manage rumors, potential factional infighting, and the optics of a leadership vacuum at a moment when external pressure is intense. Internationally, these reports will feed speculation about Iranian decision-making, who actually holds power, and how responsive Tehran will be to outside intelligence and pressure. The combination of absence, questioned competence, and explosive personal allegations makes the succession story into a geopolitical headache with unpredictable consequences.
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