Khamenei’s London property mystery: What’s behind the flats near Israel’s embassy?
Tehran: Iran has rejected reports that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei owns two luxury flats near the Israeli embassy in London, calling the claims “completely baseless” and saying he owns no property in Iran or abroad.
The Iranian Embassy in India dismissed reports published by British media, including The Sunday Times, that linked Mojtaba Khamenei to two apartments on Palace Green in Kensington, close to the Israeli embassy.
The embassy said Khamenei, like his father, owns no property either inside or outside Iran. It also described him as having a “simple and non-ostentatious lifestyle”.
Iran further alleged that the reports were intended to create a false image of the Supreme Leader's lifestyle and character.
What the British reports claimed
The reports centred on two luxury apartments on the sixth and seventh floors of a building on Palace Green. The building is located on the same street as the Israeli embassy.
British media reports said the properties had been acquired through intermediaries in 2014 and 2016 and were only recently linked to Khamenei.
The Sunday Times, Evening Standard and Daily Mail reported on the alleged connection, while The Times had previously highlighted the location of the apartment building next to the Israeli embassy.
Why the location drew attention
The reports gained additional attention because of the apartments' proximity to the Israeli embassy. The claims also emerged shortly after four Iranian and British-Iranian men were arrested in London on suspicion of surveilling locations and individuals connected to the city's Jewish community.
The reported property link was subsequently discussed alongside the arrests, although the claims about ownership and the arrests are separate matters and do not by themselves establish any connection between them.
What remains disputed
The central issue is the alleged ownership of the two London properties. British media reports have attributed the apartments to Mojtaba Khamenei, while Iran has categorically denied that he owns property anywhere.
The Iranian Embassy's statement is therefore a direct rejection of the reported property trail and the characterisation of Khamenei's lifestyle.
The dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of Iranian activity and assets overseas, particularly in the UK. The location of the reported flats has added a security dimension to what would otherwise be a property-ownership story.
However, the available claims should be treated separately: Iran's denial concerns ownership, while the recent London arrests concern alleged surveillance activity. The reports cited in the source material do not establish that the apartments were used for surveillance or that the property claims were connected to the arrests.