Prosecutors allege Shamim Mafi used a front company to facilitate drone and bomb fuse deals tied to Iranian military suppliers. The arrest has spotlighted an alleged covert procurement network involving Iranian arms transactions and Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
BY PC Bureau
April 19, 2026 — US authorities have arrested a permanent US resident of Iranian origin on charges of allegedly acting as an unregistered arms broker for the Iranian government, in a case involving suspected weapons transfers linked to Sudan’s civil war.
Shamim Mafi, 44, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday and charged by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California with conducting arms transactions without legal authorisation, according to reports. Prosecutors allege she used an Oman-registered front company, Atlas International Business, to facilitate deals involving Iranian military equipment, including armed drones, bomb fuses and ammunition.
Among the transactions cited by prosecutors is a contract worth more than $70 million for Mohajer-6 armed drones, allegedly sourced from Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. Authorities also allege the same network facilitated the transfer of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan’s Ministry of Defence amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of… pic.twitter.com/l39Gf1WVed
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 19, 2026
According to court filings cited in reports, Mafi was allegedly in direct contact with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025. Prosecutors claim she held no legal authority to engage in arms brokering and accuse her of operating as part of a covert procurement network tied to Tehran.
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Investigators have also alleged that Iranian authorities seized properties Mafi inherited from her father in 2020 and later encouraged her to establish a business in the United States, ostensibly to help recover those assets. Prosecutors claim Tehran offered to fund the venture, which they allege later served as a front for the illicit transactions.
Mafi, who left Iran in 2013 and became a permanent US resident in 2016, has denied being tasked by Tehran to conduct operations in the United States on behalf of the Iranian government. The allegations against her have not been proven in court.
The arrest comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment, with US officials reportedly preparing for another round of talks with Iran in Islamabad. According to reports, Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to participate in the discussions.
The case has drawn wider attention because the Mohajer-6 drone platform has appeared in multiple recent conflict zones, including Sudan, where fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces has continued since 2023. US authorities have not indicated whether further arrests are expected in connection with the alleged network.
