Woman linked to Sudan arms trafficking arrested in US

US authorities have arrested an Iranian woman for trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of her country, prosecutors have said. According to BBC News, Shamim Mafi, 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 $70m 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. An FBI criminal complaint filed in court , says Mafi co-ordinated a ‘Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran, received over €60m in payments, and issued payment receipts’ for the drone deal. Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the past three years. The war has resulted in the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN, with tens of thousands of people killed, and millions displaced. Foreign powers have been accused of backing both sides and providing ammunition, further fuelling the conflict.

Full BBC News report