Iranian woman arrested in US for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan
via The Namibian4 min read
US authorities have arrested Shamim Mafi, an Iranian national with an American green card, at Los Angeles airport on Saturday for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan. Prosecutors accuse Mafi, 44, of brokering the sale of Iranian-manufactured drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan's defense ministry, including a €60m drone contract. She is accused of breaching US sanctions against Iran. An FBI criminal complaint states Mafi coordinated a Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran, received over €6m in payments, and submitted a "letter of intent" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to broker the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses. Mafi, who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016, is said to have used "informal exchange entities" to evade US sanctions. She was reportedly about to board a flight to Turkey when arrested. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison. The arrest highlights the "murky world" of arms brokering, according to Justin Lynch of Conflict Insights Group, and suggests Sudan's desperation for weapons amidst its civil war. Sudan's relationship with Iran has fluctuated, with ties restored after the 2023 civil war to bolster weapons supplies.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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