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At the end of September, a United States (US) federal judge, Carol Amon, rejected cellphone giant MTN’s bid to pause the anti-terrorism cases it faces in the US. The cases ( Zobay v MTN Group Limited and the related Long v MTN Group Limited, with three others pending) are now advancing to the discovery phase, where both sides can present evidence to challenge factual claims.

MTN has been sued by more than 50 US plaintiffs who represent US military and civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Syria. MTN acquired a 49 percent stake in Irantel, the second-largest mobile operator in Iran, in 2005. That move hangs over the company, which has otherwise conducted an orderly withdrawal from the Middle East, selling its assets in Yemen (2021), Afghanistan (2024), and Syria (2026).

The plaintiffs allege that MTN paid substantial bribes and “protection money” to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, thus bypassing the higher costs of properly securing its telecommunications infrastructure. They also claim that MTN complied with Taliban demands to switch off its network signals during specific night hours, which allegedly deactivated local security networks and aided militant operations.

MTN has denied responsibility, pointing out that it has not had operational control over Irantel for years, that it has not drawn dividends since 2018, and would have sold its stake if it were not for international sanctions (which prevent repatriation).

The anti-terrorism case is not to be confused with the claims made by Turkcell, which has accused MTN of using bribery and corruption to get the original 2005 Irancell license. Turkcell was cleared to sue MTN, for damages of R74 billion, in a South African court. The South African company has appealed the decision, and the case is currently before South Africa’s Constitutional Court.

MTN was forced to book a R2.13/share loss on its Iranian interest, dragging down its group earnings per share by 25% last year. The main risk for MTN is reputational, with the discovery process likely to reveal deep details of how it managed the Irantel business. Operationally, its core pan-African portfolio (South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda) remains robust, highly profitable, and cash-generative.