A California-based businesswoman with alleged ties to Iranian intelligence was arrested at a major U.S. airport over the weekend, in a case federal prosecutors say underscores the global reach of Tehran’s covert procurement networks — and raises new concerns about sanctions enforcement amid ongoing instability in the Middle East and Africa.

Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old permanent U.S. resident living in Woodland Hills, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Prosecutors allege she orchestrated a series of high-value arms deals on behalf of Iran, including the transfer of drones, bomb components, and ammunition to Sudan, a country mired in a brutal civil war now entering its fourth year.

At the center of the case is Mafi’s alleged relationship with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), a powerful arm of the Iranian state accused by U.S. officials of coordinating clandestine operations abroad. Federal authorities say Mafi maintained direct contact with MOIS between late 2022 and mid-2025, receiving guidance and financial backing to establish a U.S.-based front business used to facilitate the transactions.

According to court filings, one deal alone involved more than $70 million worth of Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drones, along with tens of thousands of bomb fuses, routed to Sudanese defense officials. The transactions allegedly relied on intermediaries and shell structures spanning countries like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, a method prosecutors say was designed to evade U.S. detection and sanctions regimes.

Iran has faced repeated accusations of violating international arms restrictions, particularly in conflict zones like Sudan, where its drones have reportedly been used in combat operations. The war there has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly nine million people, with United Nations investigators warning that some atrocities bear the “hallmarks of genocide.”

U.S. officials have increasingly warned that Tehran is leveraging global instability to expand its influence through proxy conflicts and covert supply chains. The allegations against Mafi, if proven, would offer a rare inside look at how those networks may operate from within the United States itself.

Mafi, who left Iran in 2013 and obtained a green card in 2016, allegedly told investigators she had never been directed by MOIS to conduct activities inside the U.S. But prosecutors say the relationship was more extensive. Court records indicate Iranian authorities seized properties she inherited in 2020 and later encouraged her to establish a U.S.-based business to facilitate reacquisition — a move officials now argue may have served as both leverage and cover.

The arrest came as Mafi was preparing to board a flight to Istanbul, a common transit hub cited in the alleged scheme. She now faces charges under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The Justice Department has not indicated whether additional arrests are expected.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)