The Department of Justice is reportedly looking into JPMorgan and Citigroup as part of an investigation into Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s trail of money flows through the US.
Amid a broader effort to crack down on money laundering and corruption, officials have launched a probe into how Khamenei has managed to build up a massive investment portfolio with exposure to Wall Street banks, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous officials.
Investigators are examining large money movements between firms overseen by Khamenei – and whether US financial institutions, including JPMorgan and Citi, helped facilitate those transactions, according to the report.
The DOJ and Citi declined to comment. JPMorgan did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Along with US banks, European and Middle Eastern lenders are reportedly facing scrutiny in the probe. Global brands that received payments from the network, like Hilton Worldwide Holdings, are, too.
That’s because the Iranian leader’s network – which includes everything from Persian Gulf shipping to British luxury property – has routed its funds through banks in the UK, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg reported.
It’s possible that the investigation will not result in any charges. The DOJ’s main goal is to find any gaps in the US banking system that could be allowing Khamenei’s money to flow through the country, according to the report.
Khamenei was named the Supreme Leader in June, after his father was killed in US-Israeli air strikes early in the war with Iran. The new ruler was reportedly severely injured in the strikes and has not been seen in public since taking office.
The Justice Department has warned that Iran is actively trying to break its way into the US financial system.
“The efforts collectively of the government over the last 10 years have really driven Iran out of legitimate financial institutions,” Molly Moeser, who runs the DOJ’s money laundering division, said in May at an industry conference in New York.
But “because the US dollar is still the most stable currency and the currency everybody wants to make payments in, Iran looks for every opportunity to use shell companies, use shadow structures to still get access to the US dollar,” she warned.
Prior to becoming the Supreme Leader, Khamenei used Ali Ansari, a financier, as a conduit for shifting funds overseas, using shell companies to buy luxury homes and five-star hotels across Europe – including several run by Hilton, Bloomberg previously reported.
Ansari was slapped with sanctions in October 2025 for allegedly “financially supporting” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His lawyer has denied any ties to Khamenei.
The ruler was personally sanctioned by the US in 2019 for acting on behalf of his father and working closely with the commander of the IRGC, according to the Treasury Department.
Over the past few months, multiple entities in Khamenei’s empire have shifted from being filed under Ansari’s name to others close to the ruler – a possible attempt to conceal ownership, an official told Bloomberg.
After the outlet’s earlier reporting on Khamenei’s shady transactions, Hilton launched an internal investigation over whether it was putting itself at risk of sanctions by keeping its ties to two of its hotels in Germany – the Hilton Frankfurt City Centre and the Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch, the report said.
Advisers warned the hotel chain that it could face regulatory and reputational issues if it did not cut ties with the two hotels, according to Bloomberg. Booking options for both hotels are still listed on the Hilton website.
Hilton did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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