The Ayatollah's new London property
On Bishops Avenue in north London, often referred to as Billionaires Row, expensive mansions stand behind high hedges. Private security guards stand watch outside the houses, and most of the residences remain empty.
Behind the ownership of some of these properties is a network of companies leading to Tehran, Dubai and Frankfurt. According to the investigation, the ultimate ownership of some of the assets is linked to Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The 56-year-old cleric, who succeeded his father, manages a large investment network. This is reported by people familiar with these operations, as well as an assessment by one of the Western intelligence services. According to them, Mojtaba Khamenei does not register assets in his own name, but has been involved in some deals since at least 2011.
His financial network includes companies, bank accounts and real estate in various countries. These assets include real estate in the United Kingdom worth more than £100 million, properties in Dubai and hotels in Europe. According to sources, billions of dollars could have been channelled to Western markets through this system, despite US sanctions imposed on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019.
The assets include houses in prestigious areas of London. One of them was purchased in 2014 for £33.7 million. The network also owns a villa in the Dubai area known as Beverly Hills of Dubai, as well as hotels in Frankfurt and on the island of Mallorca.
The deals were financed through accounts in banks in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates. According to sources, the funds came mainly from the sale of Iranian oil.
In the documents reviewed by Bloomberg, Mojtaba Khamenei's name is not directly mentioned among the owners of the assets. Some of the real estate is registered to Iranian businessman Ali Ansari, against whom the UK imposed sanctions in October.
Bloomberg's investigation also revealed that the network is linked to more than a dozen properties in London, including on Bishops Avenue.
Separately, British media reported on two more apartments in Kensington on Palace Green in west London. According to the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and The Times, these apartments are located on the sixth and seventh floors of a building next to the Israeli embassy. They were purchased through intermediaries in 2014 and 2016. The cost of the two flats, according to newspaper estimates, could be around $40 million. Bloomberg did not mention these properties in its investigation.
Iranian state media portray the supreme leader and his family as people who lead an ascetic lifestyle. At the same time, the hidden foreign assets mentioned in the investigation contradict this image against the backdrop of economic difficulties and protests in the country.
Bloomberg's investigation lasted more than a year and is based on interviews with people familiar with Mojtaba Khamenei's financial transactions, as well as analysis of documents related to real estate and corporate structures.
Mojtaba Khamenei is considered an influential figure in the Iranian political system and has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. At the same time, he rarely appears in public.
Businessman Ali Ansari plays a key role in the financial network. The British authorities describe him as a "corrupt Iranian banker and businessman" and accuse him of financially supporting the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Ansari has denied any financial or personal ties to Mojtaba Khamenei and has stated his intention to challenge the British sanctions.
