Iran Supreme Leader’s Son Tied to Global Property Web

Global real estate often serves as a quiet landing spot for politically exposed capital. An investigation shows how that dynamic has played out for Iran’s ruling elite, whose luxury homes and hotels abroad form a discreet portfolio tied to the family of the country’s Supreme Leader while deadly protests rock the nation.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the second-eldest son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sits at the center of an overseas investment network that has channeled large sums into property across Europe, the Middle East and North America, Bloomberg reported.

The assets are shielded through shell companies and intermediaries and do not appear in his name, a structure that has helped the network operate despite years of international sanctions.

In the U.K., more than a dozen London properties are linked to the group. Several sit along The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, one of the capital’s most expensive residential streets.

Ownership records show a mix of holdings under the name of Ali Ansari, an Iranian construction tycoon sanctioned by the U..K in October, and Isle of Man–registered Birch Ventures, which lists Ansari as its beneficial owner.

One Bishops Avenue house alone was acquired for £33.7 million ($47 million) in 2014, according to documents reviewed by publication.

The property footprint extends far beyond London townhouses. Assets include a villa in Dubai’s gated Emirates Hills community, high-end hotels in Germany and Spain, a penthouse in Toronto’s Four Seasons Private Residences and a partial building stake in Paris that was sold in 2023. The hotels, in particular, have drawn scrutiny from European officials.

A key holding is the Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch, a five-star hotel in Germany’s financial capital featuring a spa, country club and event space. Corporate filings show the hotel has been owned since 2011 through entities tied to an associate of Ansari and was brought under Hilton management in 2024.

Frankfurt officials have publicly questioned how Iran-linked capital has flowed into the city’s hospitality sector.

Funding for the acquisitions was routed through banks in the U.K., Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the UAE; the money originated largely from Iranian oil sales.

Mojtaba Khamenei has been under US sanctions since 2019 and the recent U.K. sanctions on Ansari have raised the prospect that properties could be frozen or sold.

— Holden Walter-Warner