Iranian woman arrested in US for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan

US authorities have arrested an Iranian woman for trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of her country, prosecutors have said. Shamim Mafi, 44, who has an American green card, was arrested at Los Angeles airport on Saturday and is accused of "brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran an...

US authorities have arrested an Iranian woman for trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of her country, prosecutors have said.

Shamim Mafi, 44, who has an American green card, was arrested at Los Angeles airport on Saturday and is accused of "brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan", First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said on X.

The alleged sales were to Sudan's defence ministry, including a €60m ($70m; £52m) drone contract, court documents show.

She is accused of breaching US sanctions against Iran, which prohibit US persons from transacting or dealing in Iranian goods or services without authorisation.