From London luxury homes to shell firms: The wealth network linked to Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Mojtaba Khamenei is set to take charge as Iran's Supreme Leader following a formal announcement by the country’s powerful assembly of experts -- the clerical body responsible for choosing the nation’s top leader.

This comes after Mojtaba’s father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint operation launched by US and Israeli forces.

Mojtaba, however, is not only the newly appointed Supreme Leader. Multiple reports suggest that he also controls assets worth billions of dollars.




Mojtaba Khamenei’s exact net worth remains unclear. Reports claim he owns numerous luxury homes stretching from Tehran to Dubai and Frankfurt through layers of shell companies.



The 56-year-old cleric is also believed to control a sprawling investment empire. Although the younger Khamenei reportedly refrains from putting assets in his own name, he has been directly involved in several deals, some of which date back to at least 2011.

According to a Bloomberg report, his financial interests include Swiss bank accounts and a luxury property in Britain valued at more than $138 million.

The report said a network of companies and financial intermediaries has reportedly funneled money into high-end properties across Europe, the Gulf and North America. These include luxury homes in London and hotels in Germany and Spain.

Some of the properties are said to be located on London’s exclusive Bishops Avenue — often dubbed “Billionaires’ Row” — where individual homes have been purchased for tens of millions of euros.

“None of the documents seen by Bloomberg list assets directly in Khamenei's name. Instead, many of the purchases appear in the name of an Iranian businessman, Ali Ansari, sanctioned by the UK in October,” the report said.

Ali Ansari, a 57-year-old construction magnate, was last year described by British authorities as a “corrupt Iranian banker and businessman” when he was sanctioned for “financially supporting” the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a powerful branch of the military that reports directly to the Supreme Leader. Ansari is not subject to any sanctions in the EU or the US.

Widely regarded as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure in Iran’s political system, with close ties to the IRGC, Mojtaba Khamenei has largely avoided the public spotlight even as his influence has grown.

According to a report by The Guardian, his appointment as Supreme Leader could trigger significant shifts within Iran’s internal politics. The transition may also be seen as a move toward hereditary leadership in a system that emerged after the Iranian Revolution partly to reject monarchy.

The decision could also heighten geopolitical tensions. US president Donald Trump had previously voiced strong opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei becoming Iran’s next Supreme Leader, saying such a scenario would be undesirable.

“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said