Iranian national arrested in Los Angeles over alleged Sudan arms sales

Shamim Mafi faces charges of brokering drone and ammunition deals for Iran's government despite US sanctions.

US federal authorities arrested an Iranian national at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran, according to the Department of Justice¹².

Shamim Mafi, 44, a lawful permanent resident of the United States since 2016, was charged with brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said¹². The alleged sales were to Sudan's defence ministry and included a €60m drone contract, court documents show¹.

An FBI criminal complaint filed in court states that Mafi coordinated a Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran, received over €6m in payments and issued payment receipts for the drone deal¹. She also submitted a letter of intent to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to broker the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan's defence ministry, the complaint adds¹.

Mafi, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, was scheduled to appear in court on Monday¹². She has not yet commented on the allegations¹. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison¹².

The charges accuse Mafi of breaching US sanctions against Iran, which prohibit US persons from transacting or dealing in Iranian goods or services without authorisation¹. Court documents describe her repeated use of informal exchange systems¹.

The United Nations recently warned that Sudan is at risk of slipping into full-scale famine and collapse as the war between its army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has entered its fourth year².