Report Claims Mojtaba Khamenei Owns £100m London Luxury Properties

[Mahmud]

A report by the Daily Mail claims that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, owns luxury properties in the United Kingdom worth more than £100 million. Mojtaba, who is 56 years old, is widely believed by some observers to be a possible successor to his father as Iran's leader.

According to the report, he allegedly owns 11 properties on Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, London. This street is often called "Billionaires' Row" because many extremely wealthy people own mansions there. Land records show that the properties were purchased together in 2013 for about £73 million, but their value is now believed to be more than £100 million.

The report also claims that the properties were bought through several shell companies. One of these companies is said to be registered in the tax haven of Isle of Man. A company called Birch Ventures Limited is linked to the purchases, although Mojtaba Khamenei's name does not officially appear as a director.

Instead, the company lists banker Ali Ansari as a beneficial owner. Ansari has been described as an Iranian businessman with close ties to the Khamenei family. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in October and has been accused of helping finance Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, the sanctions statement did not directly link Mojtaba Khamenei to those accusations.

Meanwhile, several explosions were reported in different parts of Iran. In the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, a blast reportedly killed a four-year-old girl and injured several others. Authorities said the explosion was caused by a gas leak, although the incident caused widespread concern because the city hosts important military and shipping facilities.

Another explosion occurred in Ahvaz, near the Iraqi border, where four members of the same family died. These incidents happened amid rising tensions after Donald Trump threatened possible airstrikes against Iran over the deaths of protesters. Bandar Abbas is especially important because it lies near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil passes.