The US Justice Department is investigating how Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei built a global investment portfolio with exposure to Wall Street banks, Bloomberg reported, citing four officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
The probe is examining allegations of money laundering and corruption, including possible involvement by American financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup in facilitating large money movements between firms overseen by Khamenei, according to the report.
Bloomberg said investigators are looking at the role of US correspondent banks and possible gaps in due-diligence procedures that may have allowed financial flows linked to Khamenei’s network. The existence of the probe does not mean charges will be filed, the report said.
Khamenei, who became supreme leader in March after his father was killed in a US-Israel airstrike at the start of the Iran war, has not been seen publicly since taking office.
Bloomberg previously reported that Khamenei had built a sprawling business empire involving Persian Gulf shipping, Swiss bank accounts and luxury properties in Britain, with funds routed through financial institutions in the UK, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the UAE.
The report said the Justice Department’s investigation has become more diplomatically sensitive as Washington and Tehran move through an interim peace agreement that was signed Wednesday to end the war and open talks on wider issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Before becoming supreme leader, Khamenei relied heavily on financier Ali Ansari, whose banking, construction and trading interests served as a conduit for moving funds abroad, Bloomberg reported. Ansari has denied any relationship with Khamenei.
The report said the DOJ is also examining European and Middle Eastern lenders, as well as property-related payments by the network to global brands, including Hilton Worldwide.
