ROME (AP) 鈥 Italy summoned Iran鈥檚 ambassador on Thursday to demand the release of an Italian journalist while Tehran demanded Italy free an Iranian citizen arrested on a U.S. warrant over a drone attack in Jordan that killed three Americans a year ago.
The developments reflected an escalation in a sensitive, three-nation diplomatic tangle marked by a series of public barbs.
The complicated saga began on Dec. 16, when the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against two Iranian citizens accused of that was used in a January 2024 attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three American troops.
One of the suspects, Mohammad Abedini, was detained that day at Milan鈥檚 Malpensa airport on a U.S. warrant seeking his extradition.
Three days later, an Italian reporter for the Il Foglio daily, Cecilia Sala, was detained in Tehran. She had arrived in the country on Dec. 13 on a journalist visa and was arrested on charges of , the state-run IRNA news agency said.
The Italian and Iranian governments referred to both cases in their public statements Thursday after the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Italian foreign ministry. That suggested the cases were very much intertwined as each country seeks the release of its citizen. Both say their detaineed national is being unjustly accused.
The Iranian Embassy to Italy described the meeting between Ambassador Mohammadreza Sabouri and the Italian foreign ministry鈥檚 secretary general, Riccardo Guariglia, as friendly.
But in a statement on X, the embassy said Abedini was being held on 鈥渇alse charges鈥 and demanded his release, in what was believed to be Tehran鈥檚 first public response to the U.S. case against him.
It insisted that Sala was being treated humanely, especially in light of Christmas and New Year鈥檚 holidays, and demanded similar treatment for Abedini.
鈥淚t is reciprocally expected from the Italian government that, in addition to expediting the release of the detained Iranian citizen, he will be provided with the things he needs,鈥 the statement said.
U.S. federal prosecutors have charged Abedini and a co-defendant with export control violations after FBI specialists analyzed the drone navigation system used in the Jordan attack and traced it to them. U.S. prosecutors said Abedini's Tehran-based company manufactures navigation systems for the military drone program of Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Ever since the , in which dozens of U.S. hostages spent 444 days in captivity in Tehran, Iran has frequently used prisoners with Western ties as bargaining chips in negotiations.
Italian commentators have speculated that that is indeed the case as Tehran seeks Abedini's release by holding Sala, whose fate has dominated Italian headlines for days and even featured in President Sergio Mattarella鈥檚 end-of-year speech to the nation.
The Italian foreign ministry said it summoned Sabouri, the Iranian ambassador, to demand Sala鈥檚 release and ensure 鈥渄ignified detention conditions in full respect of human rights,鈥 including consular access and visitation.
Later in the day, Premier convened a high-level meeting with the Italian justice and foreign ministers to discuss the Sala and Abedini cases, and met separately with Sala鈥檚 mother. In a statement, Meloni鈥檚 office said the government renewed its call for Sala鈥檚 immediate release and 鈥渢reatment that respects human dignity鈥 in the meantime.
Concerning Abedini, the government reaffirmed that 鈥渁ll are guaranteed equal treatment in compliance with Italian laws and international conventions.鈥
Abedini鈥檚 Italian lawyer, Alfredo De Francesco, had asked the Milan court this week to grant him house arrest. On Thursday, Milan鈥檚 general prosecutor Francesca Nanni argued against the request, saying Abedini was a flight risk 鈥 especially since the Iranian government owned the residence in Italy that was proposed to house him.
鈥淭he circumstances represented in the request, particularly the provision of an apartment and financial support from Iran鈥檚 consulate 鈥 do not constitute an adequate guarantee against the danger of flight of the Iranian national whose extradition the U.S. has requested,鈥 the adnkronos news agency reported, citing a statement from Nanni that was confirmed by her office.
The U.S. Justice Department has declined to comment on the case.
Sala鈥檚 mother, for her part, said she just wants her daughter to come home and be treated humanely by Iran in the meantime.
Speaking to reporters outside of Meloni鈥檚 office after the meeting, Elisabetta Vernoni said her daughter had reported to her on Wednesday 鈥 their second phone call 鈥 that she was sleeping on the floor in a cell usually used to punish prisoners.
鈥淚 am a bit like Cecilia, I am a bit of a soldier. I wait and respect the work they are doing,鈥 Vernoni said.
鈥淏ut prison conditions for a 29-year-old girl who has done nothing must be such that they cannot scar her for life,鈥 she added.
