A Republican senator said Friday that President Donald Trump's provocative rhetoric directed at Iran's supreme leader is a calculated tactic designed to destabilize the Iranian regime, offering a rare on-the-record acknowledgment of the psychological warfare underpinning U.S.-Iran relations.

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) told TMZ that when Trump refers to the ayatollah as "the gay ayatollah," the language is used intentionally.

"The president wants to put as much pressure on them as he can, so he's trying to keep them off balance," Hoeven said. "So he's doing a lot of things to keep the regime, which is an irrational, oppressive regime [that] oppresses their own people."

Hoeven characterized the approach as part of a broader strategy to apply pressure on Tehran. "I think he's messing with them in a way to keep them off balance and create division over there," he added.

The comments align with what was widely known during Trump's first term as a "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran, encompassing severe economic sanctions and unconventional rhetorical tactics. Iran has been governed since its 1979 Islamic Revolution by a theocratic system headed by a supreme leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds final authority over major state decisions.

Iran has reportedly pursued its own measures aimed at Trump. According to reports, Tehran has enlisted senior psychologists to craft messages tailored to what Iranian officials described as Trump's "impaired mental state," specifically directed at the president.

The exchanges mark an unusual psychological dimension in the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, a relationship that has adversarial roots dating back more than four decades and has encompassed disputes over Iran's nuclear program, regional influence, and U.S. sanctions regimes.

Sen. John Hoeven says President Trump is trying to throw Iran's ayatollah off balance by making comments about his sexuality. 🎥: @hicharliecotton pic.twitter.com/RpQ2cVCURq — TMZ (@TMZ) August 7, 2026