Italian reporter Cecilia Sala has been freed after three weeks in an Iranian prison and is flying home, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on Wednesday.
Sala, 29, was working under a regular journalistic visa when she was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19, accused of "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic".
She was detained three days after Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini was arrested in Milan on a U.S. warrant for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2024 attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan.
Iran has denied involvement in the attack and has dismissed accusations that it detained Sala to put pressure on Italy to release Abedini.
The Italian statement said that Sala, who had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin jail, was freed "thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels". It made no mention of the Abedini case.
"I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make Cecilia's return possible," Meloni said on X. She was expected to greet Sala in person on her arrival in Rome later on Wednesday.
Abedini remained in a Milan prison on Wednesday, with a court due to decide next week on his request to be released to house arrest ahead of eventual proceedings to extradite him to the United States.
"For the moment, Abedini's position remains unchanged," Milan prosecutor Francesca Nanni told reporters.
DIPLOMATIC WIN
Sala works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media. Her father Renato Sala said he was overcome by emotion when he heard that she was heading home.
"I have only cried three times in my life," he said, adding: "During this period, I had the impression that a game of chess was being played, but there were more than just two players."
Sala's swift release represents a clear diplomatic win for Meloni, who had feared the case could drag on.
The Italian leader made a surprise visit to Florida at the weekend to meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. No details of the talks were released, but Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said they had discussed Sala's situation.
In recent years, Iran's security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday that Abedini's detention amounted to a hostage-taking.
