Ali Ansari, an Iranian businessman under UK sanctions for allegedly financing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, built a European property portfolio worth about €400 million, according to a Financial Times investigation based on corporate filings.
The outlet reported that the assets include luxury properties across several European countries, ranging from a golf resort in Mallorca to a ski hotel in Austria.
The holdings were structured through a complex network of offshore companies registered in jurisdictions including Luxembourg, St Kitts and Nevis, as well as Austria, Germany and Spain.
Ansari is not under European Union sanctions.
The findings show how wealthy Iranians with close ties to the ruling system have continued to acquire high-value assets in the West despite sanctions.
The report comes as Iran has been shaken by widespread protests fueled by a collapsing currency, high inflation, and public anger over corruption. Protesters have accused elites of enriching themselves while living standards for much of the population have sharply deteriorated.
