London Penthouses Linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Put Up for Sale After Mortgage Default

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Two luxury penthouses in one of London’s most prestigious neighborhoods, linked through their registered owner to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, have been placed under receivership and put up for sale after their owner fell behind on mortgage payments, according to a Sunday Times report.

The apartments, located at 3a Palace Green in Kensington, are registered to Iranian banker and businessman Ali Ansari, who was sanctioned by the United States earlier this year over allegations that he operates a global financial and property network benefiting Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.

One of the properties, a five-bedroom duplex penthouse purchased by Ansari in 2016 for £19 million, is now being marketed for just under £12 million, a reduction of more than £7 million from its recorded purchase price.

The second apartment, which Ansari purchased in 2014 for £16.75 million, has also been placed into receivership, although no asking price has been publicly announced. Together, the two properties originally cost almost £36 million.

The properties are being marketed jointly by Knight Frank and Sotheby’s International Realty. The Knight Frank brochure describes the larger apartment as an “exceptional duplex penthouse” with staff accommodation and views over Kensington Gardens.

Because the property is under receivership, however, prospective buyers are warned that the agents do not have access to all of the usual information about the property and should conduct their own inquiries.

Ansari is a prominent Iranian businessman and former owner of Ayandeh Bank, whose banking and business interests have included extensive investments in real estate.

In July 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Ansari as a key financial facilitator for the Iranian regime. Treasury alleged that he had built an extensive international network of assets and companies that diverted Iranian wealth into overseas real estate and commercial holdings for his own benefit and that of Iranian regime elites, including figures connected to the Supreme Leader’s office and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Treasury specifically said that the network benefited Mojtaba Khamenei, who became Iran’s Supreme Leader earlier this year.

The European Union subsequently also sanctioned Ansari, saying that through a network of companies he transfers funds abroad and acquires substantial assets, including real estate in Europe and Britain, on behalf of people connected to the Iranian leadership, including Khamenei.

Ansari has disputed allegations concerning his links to the IRGC and Khamenei, with representatives previously describing such accusations as baseless and politically motivated.

The British government sanctioned Ansari in October 2025, accusing him of financially supporting the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The sanctions imposed an asset freeze, travel ban and director disqualification on Ansari. The British government said he had played a role in financially enabling the IRGC and supporting activities that posed a threat to Britain and other countries.

The impact of those sanctions has extended to Ansari’s substantial British property portfolio. In March, the British government confirmed that sanctions had resulted in the freezing of UK-based assets held by Ansari, including property. Investigations by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project have identified numerous other London properties connected to Ansari. OCCRP reported that he owns a £33.7 million mansion in north London and previously acquired 12 additional properties on the same prestigious street for approximately £73 million through an Isle of Man company.

The Financial Times has separately reported that Ansari accumulated a European property portfolio worth roughly €400 million, including luxury real estate in Britain, Germany, Austria and Spain.

The Palace Green apartments are particularly notable because of their location. They are close to Kensington Palace Gardens and the Israeli Embassy in London. Previous reporting has highlighted the security implications of the properties’ location, with one security expert noting that the apartments provide a view toward the rear of the Israeli diplomatic compound.

The current sale does not itself establish that the apartments were personally owned or controlled by Khamenei. Rather, the connection arises from U.S. and European sanctions findings that identify Ansari as a financial facilitator whose property network benefits people connected to Iran’s leadership.

The properties are being sold by private receivers appointed after Ansari defaulted on the mortgages. According to reporting on the sale, the proceeds will first be used to satisfy the outstanding debts to the lenders. Any remaining funds connected to Ansari would remain subject to the applicable sanctions and asset-freeze restrictions while he remains sanctioned.

The sale therefore represents an unusual intersection of London’s luxury property market and the international campaign to restrict the overseas wealth of Iran’s ruling elite.