Turkey Plays Central Role in Transfer of Iranian Weapons to Sudan

Turkey is enabling covert weapons trafficking to Sudan. A newly unsealed U.S. federal indictment against Iranian national Shamim Mafi details how Turkish financial channels, currency exchanges, and corporate networks were allegedly utilized to facilitate the transfer of key Iranian materiel to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense — in direct violation of U.S. sanctions. The indictment highlights Turkey’s growing role as a critical node within the Islamic Republic’s global military procurement and sanctions-evasion infrastructure.

Weapons Contracts Are Worth Millions

Prosecutors allege that Mafi, a lawful U.S. permanent resident, brokered weapons deals worth tens of millions of dollars on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Defense Industries Organization (DIO), and affiliated entities — all of which Washington has sanctioned. According to the indictment, Mafi repeatedly relied on Turkish financial intermediaries, cash exchange mechanisms, and unnamed Turkish-linked companies to transfer funds related to the sale of Mohajer-6 drones, bomb fuses, and 240 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition destined for Sudan.

In one instance, Mafi explicitly instructed Sudanese counterparts to conduct payments “in cash” through Turkish exchange systems due to sanctions sensitivities. The use of Turkish financial exchanges, along with informal transfer systems such as hawalas, illustrates how the Turkish financial network is exploited to circumvent U.S. sanctions enforcement.

Allegations Reflect Turkey’s Longstanding Sanctions Evasion

The allegations are consistent with enduring concerns about Turkey’s role in helping Iran evade Western sanctions. In 2019, Turkey’s biggest public bank, Halkbank, was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors for engaging in “one of the largest sanctions-evasion schemes in modern history.” Between 2012 and 2013, Halkbank facilitated Iran’s evasion of international sanctions by converting oil revenues in Turkish accounts into Turkish lira, then into gold and cash, which were sent to Tehran through illicit channels.

This scheme violated several U.S. statutes, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and federal anti-money laundering laws. In March 2026, the Trump administration, without explanation, granted Halkbank a lenient settlement that allowed the bank to avoid prosecution.

U.S. Must Take Stronger Action To Counter Sanctions Evasion

The Trump administration and Congress should increase scrutiny of Turkey’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism finance frameworks. The Department of the Treasury should assess whether Turkey warrants re-inclusion on the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) due to ongoing deficiencies in dealing with illicit finance linked to sanctioned actors. Turkey was removed from the grey list in 2024.

Furthermore, Congress should mandate a comprehensive review of Turkish financial institutions, money exchanges, and logistics companies implicated in sanctions evasion involving Iran. Any Turkish entity identified as carrying out transactions related to the IRGC or sanctioned Iranian defense organizations should be subject to secondary sanctions.

Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Sinan and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Sinan on X @SinanCiddi.  FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.