1 hour ago
3
An Iranian woman accused of helping to secure weapons for the regime will remain behind bars after a no-nonsense message from a federal judge.
Shamim Mafi, dressed in a white jumpsuit with her hands shackled looked frightened during her court appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday. Mafi’s legal team argued she should be let out on bail.
After little deliberation, the judge decided to keep Mafi locked up, considering her a flight risk, and calling the decision, “Not even a close call,” adding Mafi had “extensive ties to foreign countries.”
The plea comes after the accused arms dealer was arrested at LAX and charged with brokering deals for Iranian drones, bombs, and millions of rounds of ammunition bound for Sudan.
It was revealed in court she was allegedly boarding a flight to Turkey when she was caught.
Mafi allegedly conducted the deals while in close contact with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which provided instruction and funds for her to open a business in the US to operate out of.
The 44-year old was allegedly operating on behalf of the Iranian regime out of a two-bed, three-bathroom townhouse in Woodland Hills. Mafi had a stream of suspicious-looking men in and out of her Los Angeles condo, neighbors have claimed.
Residents say they barely saw her but spotted multiple shady men visiting, with one who had ultra-luxe clothing seen smoking on her balcony.
“He was wearing a Gucci jacket and an expensive watch. He had a dangerous vibe. And then he was gone,” the neighbor said.
Mafi was arrested on Saturday night. She left Iran in 2013 and became a permanent resident of the US in 2016 under the Obama administration, allegedly used an Oman-registered company, Atlas International Business, to broker weapons deals as recently as 2025, according to court records.
Investigators say Mafi took elaborate steps to avoid detection, instructing associates to delete messages, avoid discussing deals over the phone and move money in cash.
She allegedly ordered transactions to be split into smaller amounts and routed through informal exchanges in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade scrutiny.
In some cases, she warned partners about the “sensitivity” of the deals and told them not to discuss key details openly.
Iran has been repeatedly accused of violating a United Nations arms embargo amid the Sudanese civil war, with its drones spotted in use by the government forces.
English (US)