A comprehensive investigation has uncovered the vast, secret property empire amassed by Mojtaba Khamenei, the second eldest son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report details how billions of pounds have been laundered into Western markets, funding an opulent portfolio that starkly contrasts with the economic hardship faced by ordinary Iranians.
The Sprawling Global Portfolio
Over the past two decades, Mojtaba Khamenei has quietly assembled a formidable collection of luxury assets. His holdings reportedly include mega-mansions in London, an exclusive villa in Dubai, and several high-end European hotels. The investigation, spanning a full year, traces the complex financial networks that have enabled this accumulation of wealth.
London's Billionaire's Row and Beyond
In the United Kingdom alone, insiders claim Mojtaba owns more than a dozen mansions with a collective value exceeding £100 million. A crown jewel in this collection is a property on The Bishops Avenue in London, famously known as 'Billionaires' Row', which was acquired for £33.7 million in 2014. His European interests extend to five-star hotels in Frankfurt, Germany's financial hub, and on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca.
The Opaque Financial Network
The 56-year-old's name never appears directly on these assets. Instead, they are held through an intricate web of shell companies, intermediaries, and bank accounts spread across jurisdictions including the UK, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the United Arab Emirates. This spider network, established from as early as 2011, spans geographically from the UAE to the Isle of Man and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
According to analysis by Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the deals have been primarily orchestrated through an Iranian businessman. Notably, this businessman was placed under UK sanctions in October for 'hostile activity', including allegedly financing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Evading International Sanctions
Mojtaba Khamenei has been under Western sanctions since 2019. The US Treasury Department imposed these measures because he was found to represent the Supreme Leader in an official capacity without ever being elected or appointed to a government position. He is accused of working closely with the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force and being connected to the Basij militia to advance his father's regional ambitions and domestic objectives.
The funding for this substantial portfolio is believed to originate from profits siphoned off Iranian oil sales. These funds are then funnelled through the opaque network to circumvent international sanctions designed to curb Tehran's military and political operations.
Political Influence and Domestic Context
Mojtaba Khamenei is considered one of the most powerful figures in the Iranian clerical establishment. A mid-ranking cleric with the title Hojjatoleslam, he has never held a formal government position but wields significant influence behind the scenes as his father's gatekeeper. His close ties with the Revolutionary Guards have granted him considerable leverage across Iran's political and security organisations.
His role has long been controversial within Iran, with critics rejecting any suggestion of dynastic politics in a country that overthrew a monarchy in 1979. Mojtaba has been a target of protesters' anger during demonstrations since 2009, particularly during the widespread unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022.
International Reactions and Concerns
Ben Cowdock of Transparency International UK, which monitors the British assets of Iran's political and business elites, stated: 'It's increasingly clear that those close to Iran's political leaders have invested heavily in the UK. Our property market should not serve as a safe deposit box for cronies who finance repressive regimes.'
An expert in money laundering investigations told Bloomberg that the recent UK sanctions against the key businessman could prompt Mojtaba and his associates to sell off European assets pre-emptively, ahead of potential similar sanctions from the European Union.
Broader Geopolitical Implications
These revelations emerge amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West. The report surfaces as estimates suggest over 33,000 people have been killed during the regime's crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, with nearly 100,000 wounded. Iranian officials have warned that any US military action would be treated as 'an all-out war', with the regime on high alert.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, noted that without large-scale military defections, Iran's protests remain 'heroic but outgunned'. The exposure of this secret property empire adds another layer of complexity to the international response to Iran's domestic policies and its evasion of global sanctions.
