The Italian government on Thursday summoned Iran's ambassador to demand the release of journalist Cecilia Sala, who was arrested in Tehran on December 19 without due process or clear charges.
Iran responded that Salah would only be released if Italy released Iranian Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, whom Italy arrested on December 16 on behalf of the United States.
Abedini, 38, is a drone expert accused of providing advanced technology to Iran's military in defiance of U.S. sanctions. The components provided by Abedini are: reportedly In January 2024, it was used in a drone attack by Iranian-backed extremists that killed three U.S. military personnel in northern Jordan.
Abedini's company, Sanat Darnesh Rapuyan Aflac (SDRA), specializes in developing navigation modules for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company provides these modules to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in 2019.
Abedini was charged with conspiring with Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, to illegally procure electronic components used by the Revolutionary Guards from U.S. companies on December 16th. (DOJ).
Abedini immediately arrested The attack was carried out at the airport in Milan, Italy, at the request of the United States, while Sadeghi was in custody in Massachusetts.
3 days later, Iran arrested Cecilia Sala, 29, is a journalist who writes for an Italian newspaper. Il Folio I host a news podcast. She had traveled to Tehran on December 13 on a journalist visa. She was arrested the day before she was scheduled to return to Italy and charged with vague charges of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic.”
Sara's last podcast, posted the day before her arrest, was about an Iranian female stand-up comedian named Zeynab Mousavi. arrested In October 2023, for speaking out against an Iranian law requiring women to cover their heads. The podcast episode is of the title “Conversations about patriarchy in Tehran”
Mousavi was brutal in the nationwide protests over the murder of a young Kurdish woman named Mahasa Amini, who was apparently kidnapped and bludgeoned to death by Iran's “morality police” for not wearing her headscarf properly. He spoke out at a time when the Iranian regime was struggling.
When Sara's arrest was revealed, there was speculation that she spoke about Mousavi's plight on her podcast, angering the Iranian regime, but she was soon taken hostage by the Iranians to secure Abedini's release. It seemed likely that it had been taken.
Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned Iran's ambassador called for Sara's release and expressed “serious concerns” about the conditions of her detention in Iran's terrifying Evin Prison. There, she is reportedly being held in a frigid cell with permanent neon lights. Her glasses were also confiscated and she was denied access to “comfort items” provided by the Italian embassy.
Iranian Embassy in Rome answered For the first time, he explicitly linked Abedini to Sara's kidnapping, saying the Italian journalist could be released on “humanitarian grounds” if Italy halts extradition proceedings and releases Abedini.
Sara's parents on Friday called on the media to reduce coverage of the incident to allow negotiations between the Italian and Iranian governments to proceed.
Sara's parents said: “Our government is doing its best to bring her home, and this requires the efforts of the Italian authorities as well as confidentiality and caution.”
“However, the stage we have reached is so delicate that a huge media debate about what can or should be done risks prolonging time and making solutions more complex and distant. “We feel that this is the case,” they said.
Iran has so far made little pretense that Salah is anything more than a hostage, but Italian officials have reportedly threatened to file formal charges unless Iran quickly agrees to release Abedini. He said he feared the charges would be fabricated and Sarah would receive a long prison sentence. The Italian embassy in Tehran announced on Wednesday that Iran had provided a list of Iranian lawyers who could represent Salah.
Beniamino Ildi, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council said of wall street journal (WSJ) said on Friday that Iran's decision to jeopardize diplomatic relations with Italy by seizing an Italian journalist was a last-ditch move.
“Iran has weakened significantly over the past year, and this episode reflects that. Now there is a growing tendency to use them in matches against the United States,” Ildy said.
“We have lived in bliss without a real foreign policy, in the traditional belief that everyone loves Italy. “Foreign policy means choosing a side and paying a price. Now we risk paying a price on both sides,” he added.
Ildi said Italian officials knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to strike a deal to release Salah in exchange for Abedini before President-elect Donald Trump took office on January 20. mentioned.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wants good relations with President Trump, so she is reluctant to anger him by releasing a dangerous Iranian involved in a deadly attack on U.S. military personnel after he takes office. I guess it's on point. Meanwhile, Meloni is under considerable pressure from his own constituents to send Sara home.
