Families of Iran's elite live lavishly abroad while ordinary citizens suffer at home

For decades, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ruling clerical elite person relied connected a strategy critics opportunity is arsenic strategical arsenic it is cynical: denounce nan West successful public, while softly securing a early location for their ain families.

"The Islamic authorities successful Iran is corrupt to its core," Kasra Aarabi, head of IRGC investigation astatine United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital. "While authorities clerics and IRGC commanders violently Islamize Iranian nine and export anti-Americanism globally, their sons and daughters unrecorded lavish lifestyles connected humor money successful Western capitals."

Iranian journalist Banafsheh Zand still remembers nan woman from her school, nan benignant of representation that only becomes meaningful years later, erstwhile a acquainted look reappears successful a wholly different context.

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Iranian women locomotion past a mural coating of Iranian flags successful Tehran connected Nov. 26, 2024.   (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

They sat together successful classrooms astatine Tehran’s elite Iranzamin School, an institution designed for nan children of diplomats and Iran’s precocious class, wherever students said aggregate languages and moved easy betwixt cultures. The woman was quiet and studious, already shaped successful portion by years spent successful nan United States, wherever she had lived arsenic a kid and picked up fluent English that would later specify her nationalist role.

Years later, Zand would spot her again, not crossed a table aliases successful a schoolhouse hallway, but connected tv screens astir nan world. Her erstwhile classmate had go nan sound of nan 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis.

The woman was Masoumeh Ebtekar, nan English-speaking spokesperson for nan extremists who held 52 Americans hostages for 444 days, and who would spell connected to take sides nan takeover of nan U.S. embassy and later picture it arsenic "the champion move" for nan revolution.

And yet, decades later, nan communicative did not extremity successful Tehran. It continued, softly and almost predictably, successful California.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, nan English-speaking look of nan 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis, later roseate to elder roles successful Iran’s authorities while her family built ties to life successful nan West. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

A life acold from nan revolution

Ebtekar son, Eissa Hashemi, was surviving successful nan United States, pursuing postgraduate studies and yet building a profession successful academia successful Los Angeles, Zand exposed connected her substack "Iran So Far Away" — a trajectory that stands successful stark opposition to nan ideology his mother helped articulate to nan world. 

For Zand, this is not an anecdote aliases an isolated irony, but a model into really nan strategy itself functions.

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"They return nan money from corruption wrong nan state and usage it to unrecorded a amended life elsewhere," she said. "It’s not a fewer cases. It’s really they operate."

What Zand is describing is wide referred to wrong Iran arsenic nan "aghazadeh" phenomenon, a word utilized for nan children of nan Iranian regime’s elite who unrecorded lives of privilege overseas while their families enforce ideological restrictions astatine home, and who person travel to symbolize for galore Iranians nan spread betwixt nan regime’s rhetoric and its reality.

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Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (L) gives a certificate of appreciation to starring reformist leader Saeed Hajjarian during nan yearly legislature of nan Islamic Iran Participation Front successful Tehran December 4, 2008.  (Caren Firouz/Reuters)

A three-tier web wrong nan West

Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, now based successful Canada, argues that this arena is structured. 

"When we talk astir nan beingness of agents of nan Islamic Republic, particularly nan IRGC, present successful Canada, we should understand this is not random," Ghadimi told Fox News Digital. "It operates successful layers."

The strategy functions arsenic a three-tiered building that allows regime-linked individuals to embed themselves crossed Western societies, according to Ghadimi, opening pinch those who get arsenic students and academics, often presenting themselves arsenic mean immigrants while maintaining ties to nan authorities aliases its information apparatus.

"They travel arsenic students aliases professors," he said, "but galore person anterior connections to nan IRGC, and portion of their domiciled is to normalize nan Islamic Republic successful universities and stitchery accusation connected activists."

A advertisement depicting Iran's ultimate leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed supra a road successful Tehran connected March 10, 2026. Iran marked nan assignment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to switch his begetter arsenic its ultimate leader connected March 9, 2026.  (AFP/Via Getty Images)

That class includes individuals identified successful caller reporting crossed U.S. campuses, specified arsenic Leila Khatami, girl of erstwhile Iranian President Mohammad Khatami astatine Union College successful New York, Zeinab Hajjarian, nan girl of Saeed Hajjarian, a laminitis of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, astatine nan University of Massachusetts Lowell, according to a March 18 New York Post report.

The 2nd layer, Ghadimi explained, is financial, consisting of erstwhile insiders and trusted affiliates who participate Western countries arsenic investors aliases business figures, often carrying important superior that raises questions astir its origin.

"In Iran, a monthly net mightiness beryllium $100 aliases $200, while an flat costs $100,000," he said. "So erstwhile personification arrives pinch millions, they are not an mean individual."

These individuals, he said, often service arsenic conduits for moving money retired of Iran, operating nether nan screen of backstage endeavor while maintaining ties to the strategy that enabled their wealth. "They alteration their master position and participate arsenic private-sector investors," he said. "But they are trusted by nan system."

The 3rd furniture involves individuals who person definitive support from nan authorities to move ample sums abroad, a process that, according to Ghadimi, requires a "green light" from nan information servants of nan state and often comes pinch expectations successful return. "In bid to move that level of money, you request permission," he said, "and successful return, they thief finance networks connected to nan regime."

A female holds an Iranian emblem during nan ceremonial and funeral of Ali Shamkhani astatine Imamzadeh Saleh successful bluish Tehran, Iran, connected March 14, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

One of nan astir salient examples is Mahmoud Reza Khavari, nan erstwhile president of Bank Melli Iran, who fled nan state successful 2011 aft nan slope was implicated successful a astir $2.6 cardinal embezzlement scandal, 1 of nan largest corruption cases successful Iran’s history.

Khavari later settled successful Canada, wherever nationalist reporting shows that he and his family acquired millions of dollars successful existent estate, including properties successful Toronto, wherever he remains much than a decade later.

For Zand, nan shape is unmistakable. 

"It’s a mafia structure," she said.

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Ali Larijani, addresses a property convention successful Tehran, Iran. Larijani, a apical Iranian information charismatic and a blimpish unit wrong Iran’s theocracy, was killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected March 17, 2026. (Henghameh Fahimi/AFP via Getty Images)

A world footprint: from Atlanta to London

As antecedently reported by Fox News Digital, Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, nan girl of elder Iranian governmental fig Ali Larijani and a blimpish unit wrong Iran’s theocracy, who was killed successful an Israeli strike this week, held a position astatine Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute successful Atlanta earlier leaving earlier this twelvemonth pursuing nationalist pressure.

At nan aforesaid time, a February 2026 study by The Guardian highlighted really relatives of Iranian elites person built lives not only successful nan United States, but besides successful Britain and Canada, including members of nan Larijani family and relatives of different elder officials, moreover arsenic nan authorities continues to position itself successful guidance to nan West.

Thousands of relatives of Iranian officials were believed to beryllium surviving crossed Western countries, IranWire reported successful 2022, though precise figures stay difficult to independently verify, underscoring some nan standard of nan arena and nan opacity of nan strategy down it.

"The problem is moreover much visible successful Europe," Aarabi said, "Governments, not slightest nan U.K., person turned a unsighted eye."

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In this image obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei, boy of Iran's ultimate leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, looks connected successful Tehran connected October 13, 2024.  (Hamed JAFARNEJAD / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)

Power, assets and nan adjacent generation

Mojtaba Khamenei, who is slated arsenic nan country’s caller ultimate leader, has been linked to a web of overseas assets, including high-value existent property successful Europe. 

A March 2026 investigation by The Times of London, identified 2 luxury apartments successful London’s Kensington neighborhood, acquired successful 2014 and 2016 done intermediaries, that beryllium straight adjacent to nan Israeli Embassy compound.

The findings are portion of a broader probe into Khamenei’s alleged overseas holdings, pinch a Bloomberg investigation estimating a portfolio spanning aggregate countries and totaling astir $138 cardinal successful assets crossed Europe and nan Gulf, pending verification of afloat ownership structures.

"He has been operating down nan scenes, managing a ample portion of nan Revolutionary Guard’s information and economical cartel," Ghadimi said. "His hands are profoundly stained pinch corruption and crimes, and nan aforesaid Revolutionary Guard is now nan main unit backing his rise."

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A personification holds an image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arsenic Iranian demonstrators protestation against nan U.S.-Israeli strikes, successful Tehran, Iran, Feb. 28, 2026.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

A strategy Iranians themselves cannot escape

Inside Iran, nan opposition pinch mundane life is stark. Women are arrested for violating dress codes, protesters are jailed and economical hardship has deepened crossed overmuch of nan population. Outside Iran, nan children of nan elite unrecorded differently.

"They’re telling group really to live, what to wear, what to believe," Zand said. "But their ain families don’t unrecorded for illustration that."

For her, nan rumor is not only hypocrisy, but strategy. "It’s besides astir influence," she said. "They merge into societies, they build networks, they study really nan West works."

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Pro-government demonstrators pain an American emblem astatine Tehran University, connected June 19, 2009 successful Tehran, Iran.  (Getty Images)

Aarabi believes Western governments person grounded to respond accordingly. "The Islamic regime’s oligarchs should beryllium treated nary otherwise from Putin’s oligarchs," he said. "The West should identify, punishment and deport these individuals."