South African mobile operator MTN Group (MTN) has disclosed that US authorities are investigating it over its conduct in Iran and Afghanistan.

News24 wrote on August 18 that Africa's largest mobile group by subscriber base is co-operating after being alerted recently through its US legal representatives of the US Department of Justice's grant jury probe.

MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, the South Africa-based publication said, told journalists earlier that day that while the company is being investigated, it "was important to emphasise that MTN had not been accused of any wrongdoing."

According to News24, MTN is already facing civil lawsuits in the US, including from families of US soldiers who died in Afghanistan.  They allege that the mobile operator, which has 297.7mn customers across 16 markets on the African continent and Asia, paid protection money to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. MTN moved out of Afghanistan in April 2025.

Turkish telecoms firm Turkcell also has a case against MTN in South African courts, claiming that the company bribed Iranian officials to beat Turkcell to secure a stake in Tehran’s first private cellphone licence. MTN owns 49% in Irancell.

“So, a lot of these things are legacy, looking back, set of issues, and we obviously have to spend the time to defend ourselves ...,” Mupita is quoted as saying, adding that the company has briefed key South African government officials over the matters.

The news of the investigation, News24 noted, comes at a "sensitive" time, when the US is threatening some officials in President Cyril Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party with sanctions over their relationship with Iran.