Iran’s embassy in South Africa claimed that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned because of disagreements with US President Donald Trump. The claim was made in a social media post addressing reports about Leavitt’s resignation and included a photograph of her, according to a report published on August 16, 2026.

The embassy suggested that Trump had secured his own safety amid security threats while placing other officials at risk, causing Leavitt to lose confidence in him. The post was believed to refer to reports that Trump was secretly moved to a small military aircraft while returning from Turkey. The White House rejected the embassy’s allegation as directly false and baseless.

US officials said Leavitt was not with Trump during the Turkey trip and denied reports linking her to the alleged transfer of Trump to another aircraft. Trump confirmed Leavitt’s resignation, but the source said there was no independent evidence supporting the Iranian embassy’s assertion that personal or political conflict with Trump caused her departure.