The US Department of Justice is investigating Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s methods of building a global investment portfolio tied to major Wall Street banks including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, multiple news outlets reported today from Washington [1, 2, 3].
The investigation is part of a broader probe into alleged money laundering and corruption involving entities linked to Mojtaba Khamenei. It focuses primarily on the supreme leader himself but does not necessarily indicate that criminal charges will be filed at this stage [1, 2, 4, 3].
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the role of Iran’s supreme leader following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026, according to available reports [1, 2, 4, 3].
US State Secretary Marco Rubio recently stated he "believes Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and is becoming increasingly engaging in leadership matters," adding context to Mojtaba’s active role in Iran’s government since early June 2026 [4].
Both the DOJ and JPMorgan Chase have declined to comment on the investigation, while Citigroup also declined to respond to requests for comment [1, 2, 3].
The report on the DOJ’s inquiry was released on June 18, 2026, with no immediate indication of further steps or charges. Investigators appear focused on tracing Khamenei’s financial transactions through international banking channels involving Wall Street institutions.
