The personal representative office of Iran’s supreme leader in London was given more than £100,000 by the British government as part of its coronavirus furlough scheme, annual accounts show.
Figures lodged with Companies House last month show that the Islamic Centre of England received £109,476 from the coronavirus job retention scheme, as the government furlough grants were officially titled, despite long-running disputes with Tehran.
The centre is a mosque and cultural office in a former cinema and bingo hall in Maida Vale, west London. It is a major centre for Shia Muslim worship, education and outreach.
It also serves as an office for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who has appointed its director, Seyed Hashem Moosavi, a mid-ranking cleric.
The centre operates as a