US federal prosecutors said Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran.
Allegations of Arms Trafficking on Behalf of Iran
Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan,” US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in an X post.
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A resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, Mafi “is an Iranian national who became a permanent resident of the United States in 2016,” the prosecutor said.
Facing Up to 20 Years in US Federal Prison
Mafi was arrested Saturday and will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
The post was accompanied by images of a woman presumed to be Mafi surrounded by federal agents at the airport, a large drone on a tarmac, a woman’s ID image and stack of cash.
UN Reacts
The United Nations recently warned that Sudan is at risk of experiencing “full-scale famine and collapse,” as the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its fourth year.
UN Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
The UN Sudan chief Denise Brown told AFP Thursday Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and weapons from outside sources deserve to be blamed
The UN has repeatedly called on foreign countries to stop funding the war but has not accused specific states.
The Sudanese army has been backed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and deployed Turkish and Iranian-made drones.
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