Iranian National Arrested at LAX on Weapons Trafficking Charges

A 44-year-old Los Angeles resident was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night and faces federal charges related to brokering the sale of weapons from Iran to Sudan.

Arrest and Charges

Shamim Mafi, an Iranian national and lawful permanent U.S. resident since 2016, was taken into custody at LAX. Federal prosecutors have charged her with brokering the sale of Iranian-manufactured military equipment to Sudan.

According to a criminal complaint, the alleged activity was conducted on behalf of the Iranian government.

The equipment in question reportedly includes drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition. Mafi is scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.

If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Alleged Operations

The criminal complaint alleges that Mafi and an unnamed co-conspirator operated a company in Oman called Atlas International Business. Prosecutors state this company was used to traffic weapons and ammunition.

The complaint indicates the company received over $7 million in payments in 2025.

Separately, Mafi and the co-conspirator are alleged to have brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense. The complaint states that Mafi submitted a letter of intent to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to purchase these bomb fuses for Sudan.

Context and Aftermath

The arrest was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. A publicly available phone number for Mafi could not be located, and it was not known Sunday if she has legal representation.

Sudan is currently in its fourth year of a civil war, a conflict that has resulted in a humanitarian crisis marked by dwindling food supplies and millions of displaced people.