Iran's Supreme Leader Owns London Penthouses Worth £36 Million on Sale

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Two luxury penthouses near Kensington Palace in London linked to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei have been put on the market after the sanctioned Iranian banker who purchased them on his behalf defaulted on his mortgages, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday, September 6, 2026, in a disclosure that illustrates the extraordinary scale of the financial network through which the Islamic Republic's leadership has secretly embedded itself in Britain's most prestigious real estate market.

The two penthouse suites at 3a Palace Green, bought for a combined £36 million, are being offered for sale after Ali Ansari, 57, a Dubai-based Iranian banker described by the US Treasury as a key financier for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was placed under American sanctions in July 2026. The US Treasury said Ansari oversees a sprawling global network of assets benefiting Iran's leader and other regime elites, and accused him of embezzling billions of dollars from the Iranian people.

A Portfolio Built on Shell Companies and Embezzled Funds

A yearlong Bloomberg investigation revealed Khamenei's massive hidden investment portfolio despite US sanctions imposed against him in 2019, with reported assets including over $130 million in UK property along with other holdings ranging from high-end European hotels to well-funded bank accounts tied to Switzerland and the UAE.

The two Kensington penthouses sit in exceptional proximity to one of the world's most sensitive diplomatic sites. Security experts warned the location could provide "permanent surveillance" of the Israeli embassy compound in Kensington, which the properties overlook from upper floors offering a direct vantage point toward the rear of the embassy.

The properties were allegedly acquired through a network of shell companies and intermediaries beginning in the mid-2010s, despite the fact that Mojtaba himself had been under US sanctions since 2019. Ansari used a shell company called Birch Ventures, registered in the Isle of Man, to purchase a string of properties on The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, north London, known as Billionaires' Row, as well as the Kensington penthouses. On October 30, 2025, the UK government formally designated Ansari under the Iran Sanctions Regulations 2023, with the official notice stating he had facilitated and provided support to hostile activity by the Government of Iran, namely providing economic resources to the IRGC.

The US Treasury separately sanctioned Ansari in July 2026, describing him as previously the owner and director of the now-bankrupt Ayandeh Bank, which was shuttered under Iranian government orders in mid-October 2025 after accumulating spiraling debts. The Treasury accused him of using numerous shell companies and bank accounts across multiple jurisdictions to accumulate holdings under the Saint Kitts and Nevis-based Smart Global Limited, a holding company established in 2011. The US alleged Ansari's embezzlement was causing untold damage to Iran's economy while he simultaneously expanded an overseas business empire on behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei in the UK, Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, Cyprus, and the UAE.

The Penthouses Now on Sale

The first penthouse, a 3,944 square foot apartment straddling the sixth and seventh floors of 3a Palace Green, is being jointly marketed by Knight Frank and Sotheby's. Ansari paid £19 million for the five-bedroom apartment in 2016, according to Land Registry records, but it is now on sale for just under £12 million. The Knight Frank brochure describes it as an exceptional duplex penthouse with staff accommodation and commanding unrivalled views across Kensington Gardens from one of London's most prestigious addresses.

The second penthouse spans the seventh and eighth floors of the same building. Ansari bought it in 2014 for £16.75 million. Teneo, an international financial advisory firm, has been appointed as receivers of the property. The British government granted permission for the two flats to be put up for sale after Ansari defaulted on the mortgages, with private lenders appointing receivers to recoup their money. Any profit left over from the sale is expected to be frozen by the government while Ansari remains sanctioned.

Ansari Denies All Allegations

Ansari issued a public statement in March 2026 saying he has consistently conducted his activities in full compliance with national laws and international regulations across 40 years as an economic actor, and announced his intention to seek legal redress against the UK government and sanctions. His lawyer Roger Gherson stated that Ansari vehemently denies any financial relationship with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Neither Ansari nor Khamenei have reportedly been seen by staff at the Kensington block since the flats were purchased.

Khamenei's Condition and Public Absence

The penthouses are linked to Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who was appointed Supreme Leader following the death of his father Ali Khamenei at the start of Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel in February 2026. He has not been seen or heard in public since and is widely believed to have been severely injured in the airstrike that killed his father, adding a further layer of political significance to the disclosure that his financial network extends to some of London's most prestigious addresses.