The Iranian Embassy in India has rejected reports claiming Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei owns two apartments in London as “completely baseless”.
Several UK media outlets had reported on Mojtaba’s alleged properties in London, which they said were located in Palace Green and overlooked the Israeli Embassy there. The Supreme Leaders owns the properties – which are sixth and seventh floor apartments – in Kensington, west London, Daily Mail reported.
Dismissing the reports, the Iranian Embassy said Mojtaba owns no property “outside Iran or inside the country”, while asserting that he lives a simple lifestyle. The embassy further added that such reports create “a false image” of the Supreme Leader’s “his life and character. “Even now, the Iranian people, because of his simple way of life and the love and affection they have for him, have been taking to the streets for 190 consecutive nights in support of him,” the embassy said. Including The Sunday Times, Daily Mail and The Telegraph UK, Mojtaba owns two luxury apartments worth almost £36m overlooking the Israeli embassy in London, which have now been put up for sale, according to reports by media outlets. The two luxury penthouses are registered to one Ali Ansari, an Iranian businessman who is reportedly described as Mojtaba’s “key financier, according to a report by The Telegraph UK.
“Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, like his esteemed father, owns no property, neither outside Iran nor inside the country. Ansari has been sanctioned by the UK and US for allegedly bankrolling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The businessman lives in Dubai, and was banned from travelling to Britain, with his assets frozen.
The Iranian people are well aware of his simple and non-ostentatious lifestyle,” India Today reported citing a statement from the Iranian Embassy.
Flats Linked to Ansari Approved for Sale Following Mortgage Default
The UK government has authorized the sale of luxury flats owned by Ansari, following his default on the mortgages for these properties. According to reports from The Sunday Times, the flats were previously acquired for approximately £36 million in 2014 and 2016, as indicated by Land Registry documents cited by The Telegraph.
Located on the sixth and seventh floors of 3a Palace Green, the penthouses feature private staff accommodation and a large roof terrace offering views over Kensington Palace.
