An Iranian businesswoman living in the United States on a green card has been arrested in Los Angeles after allegedly brokering arms deals for Tehran.
Shamim Mafi, 44, was arrested Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport by the FBI.
She is accused of brokering deals for the sale of drones, explosives, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran to Sudan, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Mafi, who lives in Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills neighborhood, became a U.S. permanent resident in 2016. She left Iran in 2013 and allegedly used an Oman-registered company to broker the arms deals, according to the New York Post.
One of Mafi’s contracts allegedly involved $70 million for Iranian-made Mojajer-6 armed drones, the Post reports.
Mafi allegedly had direct contact with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025. She has denied having any involvement with Iran’s intelligence agency or being directed to conduct business on behalf of Tehran, the Post reports.
“She is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
Mafi was allegedly planning to sell drones and approximately 55,000 bomb fuses to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense. Sudan has been in the grip of a civil war since 2023. In 2024, Iranian military officials told Reuters that drones and unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured within its borders were instrumental in turning the tide of the civil war in favor of the Sudanese military.
United Nations fact-finders reported that recent mass killings in Darfur, a region in western Sudan, have the “hallmarks of genocide.” The Rapid Support Forces — the group opposing the Sudanese military in the civil war — have also been accused of genocide by the U.S. government.
In the final days of the Biden administration in 2025, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the RSF of acts of genocide.
“Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies,” Blinken wrote. “Based on this information, I have now concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.”
Mafi is accused of violating the Conspiracy to Violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Los Angeles.
If she is convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
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