Mojtaba Khamenei and the London flat: Ali Ansari fights its sale

Ali Ansari, the main shareholder of the dissolved Ayandeh Bank and a sanctioned banker close to the regime, is trying to stop the sale of a luxury flat in the Palace Green building in London's Kensington district, a property attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's leader. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported the move on Thursday, 29 October 2026.

Ansari, who lives in Dubai, has challenged the British government's decision to license the sale of his properties for the benefit of creditors, arguing that the UK Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation erred in its decision. Teneo, the firm managing the property on behalf of the creditors, has taken him to the UK High Court.

The Palace Green flats and the unpaid loans

Ansari bought one flat in the building in 2014 for £16.75 million and a second, five-bedroom flat in the same building in 2016 for £19 million. After he stopped paying the mortgages on the two properties, the creditors appointed receivers and the British government licensed their sale. One of the flats is now on the market for just under £12 million, far below its purchase price. The building stands next to the residence of the Prince of Wales and on the same street as the Israeli embassy.

According to The Telegraph and to officials, Ansari holds these properties for Mojtaba Khamenei and several other senior officials of the Islamic Republic. His London property is estimated to be worth more than £140 million. Any proceeds left from the sale after the debts are paid will stay frozen for as long as Ansari remains under sanctions.

Sanctioned for financing the IRGC

Britain and the United States sanctioned Ansari last year for financing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and froze his assets. The US Treasury considers him one of the regime's main financial facilitators, running a wide network of assets for Mojtaba Khamenei and other senior officials. A Bloomberg investigation had earlier shown that a network of investments linked to Mojtaba Khamenei, including shipping companies in the Persian Gulf, Swiss bank accounts, luxury property in Britain and the UAE and hotels in Europe, was built with Ansari's help. None of these assets is registered directly in Khamenei's name, and many of the deals were made in Ansari's name.

Ansari's lawyer denies any financial relationship between his client and Mojtaba Khamenei or the IRGC and says he will challenge the sanctions in court.

Mojtaba Khamenei has made no public appearance since February 2026; DIAR earlier examined Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's claim that he is in full health. Meanwhile, Islamic Republic officials are warning of gas and power cuts in the coming winter in several provinces.

A sanctioned banker who holds property attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei has now gone to court to stop the sale of a London flat.