US Investigates Iran Supreme Leader's Alleged Global Financial Network

The United States Department of Justice is reportedly investigating the financial dealings of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The probe focuses on allegations of money laundering, corruption, and the alleged use of international banking networks, including potential involvement of major US financial institutions.

Investigators are scrutinizing how Khamenei purportedly amassed a global investment portfolio. They are examining whether correspondent banks and their compliance systems failed to detect transactions connected to companies believed to be under his influence. US banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup are reportedly being looked at for processing large financial transactions linked to Khamenei's network. The Justice Department has not filed charges, and no institution has been accused of wrongdoing.

This investigation emerges at a critical juncture as Washington and Tehran are engaged in peace talks to end their ongoing conflict and discuss Iran's nuclear program. Khamenei assumed leadership in March after his predecessor's death in a US-Israeli airstrike. Previously, reports suggested Khamenei had cultivated an extensive business network spanning Persian Gulf shipping, Swiss bank accounts, and luxury real estate in Britain, with financial ties extending through institutions in the UK, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the UAE.

Bloomberg reported that investigators are also looking into the role of financial institutions in Europe and the Middle East, as well as property transactions involving international companies like Hilton Worldwide. Khamenei has been reportedly associated with financier Ali Ansari, whose business interests allegedly facilitated overseas financial activities, though Ansari denies any connection.