- Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who had been detained in Iran for three weeks, was released on Wednesday, Italian officials said.
- Italian commentators speculated that Iran arrested Sala as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Mohammed Abedini.
- The U.S. Justice Department accused Abedini and another Iranian of providing drone technology to Iran that was used in a January 2024 attack that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan. He remains detained in Italy.
An Italian journalist detained for three weeks in Iran was released on Wednesday and is returning home, Italian officials said, his fate intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer wanted by the United States.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni’s office said a plane carrying 29-year-old Cecilia Sala left Tehran after “intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence channels”, adding that the Italian prime minister had personally transferred her to Tehran. The news was notified to Sarah’s parents.
Iranian media cited only foreign reports acknowledging the journalist’s release. Iranian officials had no immediate comment.
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Sara, a reporter for the Il Foglio daily, was detained in Tehran on December 19, three days after arriving in Tehran on a journalist visa. The Islamic Republic’s official news agency said she was accused of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic.
Italian commentators have speculated that Iran detained Sala to secure the release of Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa airport three days earlier on December 16 on a U.S. arrest warrant. catch.
The U.S. Justice Department accused Abedini and another Iranian of providing Iran with drone technology that was used in a January 2024 attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops. He remains detained in Italy.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said that Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained on December 19 while reporting in Iran. (AP Chola Media)
Sara’s release sparked cheers in Italy, where her plight made headlines and lawmakers welcomed successful negotiations to bring her home.
It comes after Meloni made a surprise trip to Florida last weekend to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
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Meloni announced Sara’s return on Twitter in a statement from
Sala’s fate intertwined with that of Abedini, with each country’s foreign ministry summoning the other’s ambassador to demand the release of the prisoners and decent conditions of detention. The diplomatic dispute is particularly complicated for Italy, a historical ally of Washington but which maintains traditionally good relations with Tehran.
Elisabetta Vernoni, mother of Cecilia Sala, leaves Palazzo Chigi after meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on January 2, 2025 in Rome. (Mauro Scrobonia/LaPresse via AP)
Members of Meloni’s cabinet have taken a personal interest in the case because of the geopolitical implications. Foreign Minister Antonio Tanaji and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto praised the diplomatic teamwork that secured Sala’s release, a major victory for Meloni.
Iran has used prisoners with ties to the West as bargaining chips in negotiations with the world since the 1979 U.S. embassy crisis that resulted in the release of dozens of hostages after 444 days in captivity.
In September 2023, five Americans who had been detained in Iran for years were released in exchange for the release of five Iranians detained by the United States and $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets released by South Korea.
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Western journalists have been jailed in the past. American journalist Roxana Saberi was detained by Iran in 2009 and released after about 100 days.
Also detained in Iran was Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who was held for more than 540 days before being released in a prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States in 2016.
Both cases involved Iran making false espionage accusations in closed hearings.
