IRAN is believed to be sitting on a luxury property portfolio worth up to £200million in London – and MPs are demanding the government take action.
Lawmakers raged “dirty money” linked to the ruthless regime is hiding in plain sight across the capital and “dithering” Sir Keir Starmer must launch a crackdown – just like the UK did on Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Tory grandee Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP warned Iran is “the enemy” and called for tougher measures, while Sir Andrew Mitchell MP demanded any UK-based regime assets be seized.
Anti-corruption group Transparency International UK have identified up to £200million worth of UK property suspected to have been bought up by the Ayatollah and his regime stooges.
And the new twisted supreme leader himself, Mojtaba Khamenei, is claimed to own a string of mansions and apartments by proxy – many of them sitting derelict on The Bishop’s Avenue, London.
It is Britain’s third most expensive street, also known as “Billionaire’s Row”.
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The exclusive street is lined with 66 mega-mansions worth around £9million each – and at least 12 of them are thought to be owned by Iran.
Many of the properties are sitting in ruin having been understood to have been purchased through shell companies linked to Iranian banker Ali Ansari, who was branded “corrupt” when being sanctioned by the UK.
One of the mansions linked to the Ayatollah – The Georgians – sits totally gutted after a fire back in 2023.
And the Ayatollah – who is reportedly in a coma after a US airstrike – also is believed to own two lavish flats with balconies chillingly overlooking the Israeli embassy in Kensington.
Khamenei’s personal portfolio is believed to be worth around £150million, with another £50million of assets owned by his cronies.
He took power after his father, Iran’s long-time ruler Ali Khamenei, was killed at the dawn of the US’s war on Iran in February 28.
Mr Duncan Smith demanded Iranian assets in the UK are seized immediately.
He told The Sun: “I think the matter is simple, all Iranian assets must be seized. The government must simply find some mechanism to act fast and do so.
“They managed to act quickly to sanction Russians.
“This situation is terrible, but this is one of many examples of Starmer failing to act on serious matters swiftly, yet more dithering.
“They [the government] have still proscribed the IRGC, the brutal ones who mercilessly killed the protestors in SS style fashion.
“Action needs to happen and we as a country hunt down anyone involved with them in the UK.
“They are a genuine threat to the people of this country.”
And grimly, he added: “Starmer might argue otherwise, but whether he likes it or not, we are in this war.”
Fellow Tory MP, Shadow former foreign secretary Sir Andrew Mitchell, moreover called for Iranian assets to be seized.
He said: “The UK must use every available lever to bear down on a regime that has brutalised the Iranian people for many years, and if that means seizing assets here then we must do it and do it quickly.
“No more ministerial dithering, action this day.”
But there is even noise on the Labour benches that action must be taken against the regime.
Joe Powell, Labour MP for Kensington & Bayswater, said he was “deeply” concerned by the matter.
He told The Sun: “The idea that the new Ayatollah could own luxury property in London, including in my constituency, is deeply concerning and must be urgently investigated.
“It’s exactly why we need far greater transparency over foreign money in the UK property market and strict sanction enforcement”.
Reform UK echoed the calls for a crackdown and condemned previous governments for allowing the Iranian money in the UK to grow.
A spokesman told The Sun: “For such a high-ranking Iranian official to have amassed such a significant portfolio in our capital represents a massive security failure by successive Labour and Conservative governments.
“Any UK assets connected to this vile regime must be seized immediately. Britain must not become a haven for dirty money.”
The Home Office has 550 sanctions against Iran, however MPs say that this is not enough.
And the Ayatollah – with his £150million property empire – has not been sanctioned nor have his assets been grabbed.
The Sun asked the Home Office and Downing Street for comment.
Welcome to ‘Billionaire’s Row’
By Bruno Brown
It is a bizarre situation on The Bishop’s Avenue.
For decades it has been home to the super rich – attracting A-list celebrities, Premier League footballers, and billionaires.
But walking along the 66-home street – some of the mansions look worlds away from what you would expect, despite the eye-watering price tags.
But despite the wealth on display, many of the homes are now falling apart.
Among which include those believed to be part of Khamenei’s £150million property portfolio in the UK.
Others on the street are mid-renovation or being rebuilt entirely, with construction work ongoing.
At the top end of the avenue, brand-new flats are also taking shape, set to complete in 2027.
They will join a small cluster of apartments already on the street offering fortress-like security.
Residents say overseas ownership has turned the avenue into a neglected “playground” for foreign investors, accelerating the decay of homes once considered among the finest in Britain.
Read the full article here