Five bedrooms, embassy views: Inside £36m London penthouses linked to Mojtaba Khamenei

Dubai: Five bedrooms, private roof terraces, staff quarters and commanding views across one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods — two luxury penthouses linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei offer a glimpse into the overseas wealth associated with Tehran’s ruling elite.

The apartments at 3a Palace Green in Kensington were acquired for a combined total of almost £36 million (about $48 million/Dh 177 million) in 2014 and 2016. They are now being sold after their registered owner, sanctioned Iranian banker Ali Ansari, defaulted on mortgage payments, The Sunday Times reported.

One is a 3,944-square-foot duplex occupying the sixth and seventh floors of the building.

The five-bedroom residence includes staff accommodation and a private roof terrace overlooking Kensington Gardens. It is being jointly marketed by Knight Frank and Sotheby’s International Realty for just under £12 million.

Ansari bought the apartment for £19 million in 2016, meaning its current asking price is more than £7 million below the amount paid a decade ago.

The second penthouse occupies the seventh and eighth floors of the same development and also has staff accommodation and a private roof terrace. Ansari purchased it for £16.75 million in 2014.

It has not been publicly listed, leaving its asking price unknown.

Less than 50 metres from Israeli Embassy

The apartments overlook Kensington Palace and are close to the official London residence of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

More remarkably, they sit near the heavily guarded Israeli Embassy.

The Daily Mail reported that the properties have a direct line of sight towards the rear of the embassy from less than 50 metres away, prompting concerns about the potential security implications of their location.

Roger Macmillan, a counterterrorism specialist and former security director at the Iranian opposition broadcaster Iran International, said the vantage point could theoretically allow occupants to observe and photograph embassy staff and visitors.

He warned that the short distance could also facilitate attempts to monitor outdoor conversations or employ more sophisticated surveillance techniques targeting windows and wireless networks.

There is no evidence that the apartments have been used for surveillance.

The Israeli Embassy has declined to comment on reports concerning the properties.

How were the apartments linked to Khamenei?

The properties are formally registered to Ansari rather than Khamenei.

Their reported connection to Iran’s leader emerged from investigations into a wider international property network allegedly controlled through trusted associates, offshore companies and other intermediaries.

A Bloomberg investigation published in January traced a portfolio of luxury assets in London and elsewhere back to Khamenei through what it described as layers of shell companies.

The investigation focused in part on 11 mansions on The Bishops Avenue in north London, a street known as “Billionaires’ Row.” Some of the homes were acquired through Birch Ventures, a company registered in the Isle of Man.

Bloomberg did not identify the Palace Green apartments in its original report. British newspapers subsequently linked the Kensington properties to Khamenei by cross-referencing property records with information about the alleged financial network.

The Evening Standard reported in March that Ansari had acquired the apartments through associates on Khamenei’s behalf.

In July, the US Treasury sanctioned Ansari, describing him as a key financier for Khamenei and accusing him of overseeing an extensive international network of assets benefiting Iran’s leader and other members of the country’s ruling establishment.

Britain had previously sanctioned Ansari for allegedly providing financial support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His British assets were frozen and he was prohibited from entering the country.

A lawyer representing Ansari has rejected the allegations, saying his client denies having a financial relationship with Khamenei or the IRGC and intends to challenge the British sanctions.

Why are the penthouses being sold?

Despite the properties’ politically sensitive connections, the publicly available sales material makes no reference to Khamenei, Ansari or Iran.

Its only indication that the transaction is unusual is a warning that the five-bedroom property is in receivership and that the agents do not possess all the material information about it.

The British government is believed to have authorised the sales after private lenders appointed receivers to recover unpaid debts.

Once the lenders and expenses connected with the transactions have been paid, any proceeds remaining from the sales are expected to remain frozen for as long as Ansari is subject to sanctions.

Staff at the Palace Green development are reportedly not known to have seen either Ansari or Khamenei at the apartments since they were acquired.

The sales brochure makes no mention of the apartments’ politically sensitive links. Its only indication of the unusual circumstances is a footnote stating: “Due to the property being in receivership, we do not have all of the material information for the property; therefore you should ensure you make all relevant enquiries.”