Iranian National Caught at LAX Allegedly Trying To Flee After Brokering $70 Million Weapons Deal for Tehran

While the United States is locked in an ongoing conflict with Iran, an Iranian national was living comfortably in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills. But according to federal prosecutors, she wasn’t just living the California dream. She was allegedly brokering tens of millions of dollars in weapons, drones, and ammunition on behalf of the Iranian regime.

And she almost got away.

Federal authorities arrested Shamim Mafi, 44, at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, just as she was reportedly about to board a flight to Turkey. The charges? Allegedly brokering the sale of Iranian-manufactured Mohajer-6 armed drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense in violation of U.S. sanctions.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest on X:

Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of… pic.twitter.com/l39Gf1WVed

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 19, 2026

The scope of the alleged operation is staggering. According to the criminal complaint, Mafi allegedly brokered a contract worth more than $70.6 million for the sale of Iranian drones alone. On top of that, prosecutors say she helped arrange the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses, 10 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, and a separate proposed deal for 240 million additional rounds.

Fox News correspondent Matt Finn reported on the details of the arrest:

NEW: Feds arrest an Iranian woman last night at LAX right before she was about to get on a flight to Turkey. Shamim Mafi is accused of brokering Iranian bombs, weapons, drones and ammunition to Sedan.

Mafi, who lives in LA, allegedly brokered “millions of rounds of… pic.twitter.com/MQtbwCmRl1

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) April 19, 2026

Fox News reported on the full scope of the case:

Mafi is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016. She maintains a residence in Woodland Hills and frequently travels to Iran, Turkey, Oman, and other countries.

According to the complaint, Mafi used an Oman-based company called Atlas International Business LLC to facilitate the deals. Payments were allegedly routed through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions.

Investigators say Mafi maintained approximately 62 bidirectional contacts with an officer from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025, and coordinated with figures tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Let that sink in. She was allegedly in regular contact with Iranian intelligence officers and IRGC-connected figures for years, all while living as a permanent resident in the United States. And she never obtained the required U.S. licenses for brokering any of these Iranian defense articles.

The Libs of TikTok account noted one detail that jumped out to many online:

BREAKING: Iranian national Shamim Mafi arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking guns on behalf of the Iranian government.

She faces up to 20 years in prison.

Mafi was born in Iran and became a lawful United States resident in 2016 under Obama. pic.twitter.com/URQmhnxjJW

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 19, 2026

CBS News reported on what Mafi now faces:

If convicted, Mafi faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. She is expected to make her initial appearance on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that Mafi “brokered the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan.”

The timing of this arrest is impossible to ignore. The United States is actively engaged in a conflict with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been shut down again, and President Trump just convened an emergency meeting over Iran’s latest provocations. Meanwhile, an Iranian national with ties to Tehran’s intelligence services was allegedly running a weapons pipeline right out of Los Angeles.

Twenty years in prison would be the maximum sentence. Given the scale of the alleged operation and its direct connection to the Iranian regime, many will be watching this case very closely.