New ayatollah owns £35m london flats near Israeli embassy - report
The properties were allegedly purchased through the sanctioned Iranian banker, Ali Ansari
Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been linked to two luxury apartments in London worth about £35 million located near the Israeli embassy, according to a Telegraph report.
The properties were allegedly purchased through Iranian banker Ali Ansari, who was sanctioned by the British government in October last year for financing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Authorities described Ansari as “corrupt” and imposed asset freezes and a travel ban preventing him from entering the United Kingdom.
According to the report, the apartments were bought in 2014 and 2016 on behalf of Khamenei, the son of Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was elected supreme leader on Sunday following the death of his father in Israeli airstrikes.
One apartment was purchased in March 2014 for £16.75 million, while the second was acquired in November 2016 for £19 million. The two properties are now estimated to be worth close to £50 million and include separate staff quarters.
The flats are located in Kensington Palace Gardens, one of London’s most exclusive residential streets. The address is adjacent to the Israeli embassy and close to Kensington Palace.
Britain’s intelligence services are aware of the properties, according to the report. The development comes as scrutiny increases over the overseas assets of Iranian officials and individuals linked to the country’s leadership.