U.S. authorities accuse Mafi of brokering arms deals for Iran involving drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition destined for Sudan. Mafi is charged with violating 50 U.S.C. § 1705, according to court documents. According to court documents, Mafi allegedly used her company, Atlas International Business, to broker the deals, with channels in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to avoid U.S. detection.
One contract Mafi allegedly brokered involved $70 million for Iranian-made Mojajer-6 armed drones to Sudan's Ministry of Defense. Multiple reports indicate she allegedly earned 6 million euros in payment for coordinating the Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran. Phone records show Mafi had direct contact with Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025, according to major media sources. Mafi's first husband was an officer for Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the same sources report.
Mafi denies any involvement with Iran's MOIS and denies being directed to conduct business on behalf of Tehran. She became a U.S. permanent resident in 2016, left Iran in 2013, and frequently travels to Iran, Turkey, and Oman. Mafi faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, with her first court appearance scheduled for Monday afternoon at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
The alleged arms deals come as Sudan has been in a civil war since 2023. U.S. authorities have not disclosed what specific evidence, beyond phone records, links Mafi directly to the alleged arms deals, nor how they first became aware of her alleged activities. The current status of the arms shipments allegedly brokered by Mafi—whether any have been delivered to Sudan—remains unclear, as does the identity and role of her unnamed co-conspirator mentioned in court documents. Mafi's defense strategy against the charges has not been publicly detailed.