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Iran finds itself under scrutiny once again, this time facing accusations of exacerbating the conflict in Sudan by providing attack drones that indiscriminately target civilians. This involvement has drawn significant criticism as the war, deeply affecting the predominantly Muslim nation, continues to claim innocent lives.
Since the outbreak of hostilities on April 15, 2023, the Sudanese civil war has entered its fourth year. Reports suggest a staggering toll, with an estimated 400,000 deaths and over 11 million people displaced, marking it as the most severe displacement crisis globally.
Mariam Wahba, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), discussed with Fox News Digital the troubling role Iran plays in this conflict. She highlighted that “Iran has supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with drones, specifically the Mohajer-6, manufactured by Qods Aviation Industries, a company that has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2013.”
On August 23, 2023, in Tehran, the “Mohajer 6” drone was prominently displayed during Iran’s defense industry achievements exhibition, underscoring its controversial role in the ongoing conflict. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department has condemned the usage of these drones against civilians, pointing fingers at the SAF for allegedly employing Iranian drones extensively. Further complicating matters, an Iranian woman currently remains in federal custody in California, following her arrest earlier this month for an alleged conspiracy to supply Sudan with additional Iranian drones.
Documented cases show both the SAF and the rebel militia they are fighting, the Rapid Support Forces, (RSF), are increasingly using drones against civilians.
Wahba said that “between Dec. 2023 and July 2024, at least seven cargo flights traveled between Iran and Sudan, likely transporting drones and component parts. On April 19, an Iranian-born U.S. resident was arrested at LAX (Los Angeles International airport) for allegedly brokering a $70 million deal to supply Mohajer-6 systems and other hardware to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense, indicating the transfers are likely ongoing.”
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “We are greatly concerned about the proliferation of drone warfare by the parties (in Sudan), and the impact this has on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Recently we have seen RSF and SAF drones destroy hospitals and schools, killing civilians.”
Patients with their malnourished children at the nutrition ward of the Pediatric Center of the Port Sudan Children’s Teaching Hospital, in Port Sudan, Sudan, on Monday, Oct. 328, 2024. Millions of dollars worth of weapons, fuel and drones flowing through Port Sudan have given the country’s army the upper hand in the world’s deadliest war, as Tehran and Moscow jockey for military bases on the Red Sea. (Eduardo Soteras/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
News of the Iran drone plot in the U.S. was first announced by Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, in a post on X, April 19, “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 rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan.”
The post was accompanied by photos of Iranian drones, and an image of what looked like a suitcase stuffed with dollar bills.
Ciaran McEvoy from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California told Fox News Digital that Mafi “remains in federal custody and her arraignment is scheduled for Friday, May 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.”
Wahba told Fox News Digital that the Mohajer-6 drone Iran is supplying to Sudan is “Iran’s workhorse drone”, adding it’s the system used in attacks on Israel and the Red Sea by Hezbollah and the Houthis.
“The Mohajer-6 is a reusable platform used for surveillance and precision strikes,” Wahba added. It can loiter, collect intelligence and return.”
An Iranian navy special forces known as Takavaran stands guard near the Iranian Kharg replenishment ship docked in the Red Sea Sudanese town of Port Sudan on Oct. 31, 2012. The visit of two Iranian naval ships to Sudan reflects strong ties between the countries, (Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images)
The State Department told Fox News Digital of wider concerns: “Islamist groups aligned with the SAF have formed relationships with the Iranian regime and have received assistance from Iran. We’ve sanctioned a number of these groups, including the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood, who used unrestrained violence against civilians and undermined efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan. Many of the group’s fighters have received training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and have committed atrocities against civilians.”
United Nations spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, condemned the recent drone attacks in Sudan. He told reporters: “An aid truck from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) that was carrying emergency shelter kits came under attack by a drone on Friday (April 24) while transiting through the town of Umm Drisaya in North Darfur state. All supplies were destroyed in the fire.”
Dujarric added: “The second incident occurred on Saturday (April 25) when a drone reportedly caused casualties in residential neighborhoods of El Obeid city, North Kordofan state. Seven people were killed and over 20 injured, according to a local medical group.”
Patients are pictured in one of the rooms of the Saudi hospital in Khartoum’s twin-city Omdurman on March 20, 2025 as most hospitals and schools no longer function in the Sudanese capital and its environs due to the ongoing war which broke out in April 2023. (Ebrahim Hamid / AFP via Getty Images)
“These are ordinary families in their homes, caught in violence that continues to reach civilian neighborhoods,” said Dujarric. “We condemn all of these attacks.”
Ricardo Pires, communication manager for the children’s agency UNICEF, told Fox News Digital: “For children in Sudan, the sound of a drone is yet another dreadful signal to hide and hope they are not harmed next. Across Darfur and Kordofan, drones and other explosive weapons are turning streets, hospitals and schools into places of danger and death. This is not just a protection threat for children. It is childhood being attacked by new forms of warfare.”
The State Department spokesperson added, “In order to safeguard U.S. interests, to include the protection of religious freedom in Sudan, U.S. efforts seek to limit malign Islamist influence in Sudan’s government and curtail Iran’s regional activities, which have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict and civilian suffering.”