Overview
- At least 11 long‑neglected properties on Hampstead’s Bishops Avenue are reported to be connected to Mojtaba Khamenei and are collectively valued at about £100 million.
- Bloomberg reports the acquisitions were arranged for the Iranian regime by businessman Ali Aliakbar Ansari using Birch Ventures Limited, registered in the Isle of Man.
- Ansari is under UK sanctions and is accused by officials of financing hostile activity by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the reporting.
- On‑the‑ground visits by Mirror journalists describe shuttered mansions, security guards, and little sign of occupancy, including a site damaged by a 2023 fire and a gated cluster known as Arden Court Gardens.
- Coverage cites a reported £73 million purchase of a Bishops Avenue portfolio in 2013 and notes fresh political calls for tighter sanctions and a reliable foreign property register.