{"id":73873,"date":"2026-04-20T03:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T03:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/73873\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T03:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T03:53:08","slug":"who-is-shamim-mafi-iranian-american-woman-arrested-in-us-for-70-million-arms-deal-for-tehran-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/73873\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Shamim Mafi? Iranian-American Woman Arrested In US For $70 Million Arms Deal For Tehran | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:April 20, 2026, 09:09 IST<\/p>\n<p>US authorities arrest Iranian American Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles airport, charging her with illegally brokering arms including drones and ammunition for Iran.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-6cc80bfb3da3f7c2 lazyload\"\/><a href=\"https:\/\/web.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Who%20is%20Shamim%20Mafi%3F%20Iranian-American%20Woman%20Arrested%20In%20US%20For%20%2470%20Million%20Arms%20Deal%20For%20Tehran - %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/who-is-shamim-mafi-iranian-american-woman-arrested-in-us-for-70-million-arms-deal-for-tehran-ws-l-10044636.html%3Futm_source%3Dwhatsapp%26utm_medium%3Dsocial_share%26utm_campaign%3Dnw18english%0D%0A %0D%0A Get the latest news anytime, anywhere. Install News18 app for free! %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/onelink.to\/website-share-eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"jsx-6cc80bfb3da3f7c2 sclrnd wapp social_share\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_share_icon.svg\" alt=\"new share icon\" title=\"new share icon\" width=\"8\" height=\"9\" class=\"jsx-6cc80bfb3da3f7c2 social_share\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_whatsapp_icon.svg\" alt=\"new whatsapp icon\" title=\"new whatsapp icon\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" class=\"jsx-6cc80bfb3da3f7c2 social_share\"\/><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Shamim Mafi Arrested: US Charges Iranian-American With Illegal Arms Brokering\" title=\"Shamim Mafi Arrested: US Charges Iranian-American With Illegal Arms Brokering\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776657188_271_1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-2524e8ec645f14a5 jsx-1404652525\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/zoom-img.svg\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" class=\"jsx-2524e8ec645f14a5 jsx-1404652525 imgzoomicn tap_to_zoom\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Shamim Mafi Arrested: US Charges Iranian-American With Illegal Arms Brokering<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"jsx-2524e8ec645f14a5 jsx-1404652525 flscrnimg\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">As the Iran war shows no signs of easing, authorities in the United States have reportedly arrested an Iranian-American woman over alleged involvement in illegal arms deals. The arrest took place at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, according to reports.<\/p>\n<p>Who is Shamim Mafi?<\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">The woman has been identified as Shamim Mafi, aged 44. She is a permanent US resident of Iranian origin. She has been charged by the US Attorney\u2019s Office for the Central District of California for carrying out arms transactions without proper legal approval.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">Prosecutors allege that Mafi was involved in brokering deals on behalf of the Iranian government. These deals are said to have included armed drones, bomb fuses and ammunition.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">According to the charges, the weapons were intended for use in Sudan\u2019s ongoing civil war, which began in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Use of front company<\/p>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\">Investigators claim that Mafi used a front company registered in Oman, named Atlas International Business, to carry out these transactions. The alleged activities continued as recently as 2025, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7\" class=\"story_para_7\">Among the transactions highlighted is a contract worth more than $70 million for Mohajer-6 armed drones. These drones are military-grade unmanned aircraft linked to Iran\u2019s defence establishment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Prosecutors also said that around 55,000 bomb fuses were moved through the same network to Sudan\u2019s Ministry of Defence.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">The Mohajer-6 drone system has been used in several conflict zones in recent years, including fighting between Sudanese forces and paramilitary groups.<\/p>\n<p>Links to Iranian authorities<\/p>\n<p id=\"11\" class=\"story_para_11\">Court filings suggest that phone records show Mafi was in direct contact with Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025. However, Mafi has told investigators that she was never instructed by Tehran to carry out activities in the United States.<\/p>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">Mafi left Iran in 2013 and became a permanent US resident in 2016.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">Prosecutors claim that in 2020, Iranian authorities seized properties she had inherited from her father. After this, Iran\u2019s intelligence agency allegedly asked her to set up a business in the US.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\">The stated purpose was to buy back those properties, with Tehran offering to fund the business.<\/p>\n<p id=\"15\" class=\"story_para_15\">According to prosecutors, Mafi told Iranian intelligence contacts that she believed she was more useful to them operating outside Iran rather than within the country.<\/p>\n<p id=\"16\" class=\"story_para_16\">The arrest comes at a time when diplomatic efforts are continuing between the US and Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n<p>submit<\/p>\n<p>Location :<\/p>\n<p>United States of America (USA)<\/p>\n<p>First Published:<\/p>\n<p>April 20, 2026, 09:00 IST<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">world<\/a>   Who is Shamim Mafi? Iranian-American Woman Arrested In US For $70 Million Arms Deal For TehranDisclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Read More<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last Updated:April 20, 2026, 09:09 IST US authorities arrest Iranian American Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles airport, charging&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[27126,27124,34,223,196,13851,27127,27123,26876,27128,69,27125,27122],"class_list":{"0":"post-73873","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tehran","8":"tag-arms-transactions-charges","9":"tag-illegal-arms-deals","10":"tag-iran","11":"tag-iran-us-war","12":"tag-iran-war","13":"tag-iran-weapons","14":"tag-iranian-government-weapons","15":"tag-iranian-american-woman-arrested","16":"tag-shamim-mafi","17":"tag-sudan-civil-war","18":"tag-tehran","19":"tag-us-attorneys-office-california","20":"tag-who-is-shamim-mafi"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116435013136418528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}