Iranian state television declared early on Monday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s son, will succeed him as the new Ayatollah.
His much-anticipated appointment as Supreme Leader of Iran has brought attention to his wealth and a global financial network, as multiple reports suggest that the cleric may control assets worth billions of dollars.
Read more: Iran selects Khamenei’s successor; US, Israel vow to go after new Supreme Leader
Estimated net worth and hidden global assets of Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba’s real net worth is unknown. However, reports suggest he runs a massive investment empire. According to a Bloomberg report, his financial interests might have Swiss bank accounts as well as a British luxury house valued at more than $138 million.
A detailed Bloomberg report stated that a web of companies and financial intermediaries has channeled money into high-end properties across Europe, the Gulf and North America, including luxury homes in London and hotels in Germany and Spain.
The report said that some of the properties are reportedly located on London’s exclusive Bishops Avenue, often referred to as “Billionaires’ Row,” with individual homes purchased for tens of millions of euros.
However, the Supreme Leader and his family, who were a part of the revolutionary movement that overthrew a monarch in 1979 in the name of the poor and Islam, are portrayed by Iran’s state media as leading a strict and devout life. There isn’t much evidence that the family has funded extravagant lives with the foreign holdings.
Read more: Who was Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife Zahra Haddad Adel?
Trump Says ‘Khamenei’s Son Is ‘Unacceptable’
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been viewed as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure within Iran’s political system and has been closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as per Iranian state media.
According to The Guardian, Mojtaba’s appointment as Supreme Leader will cause ripples in internal Iranian politics. The transition represents a move toward hereditary leadership in a political system founded after the 1979 revolution, partly to reject monarchy.
Iran’s choice to declare Mojtaba Khamenei could lead to a further escalation of the war, as Donald Trump had previously shown dissatisfaction with the fact that he is the likely successor and stated that such a scenario was undesirable.
He said, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”