Italy is negotiating for the release of a journalist detained in Iran via a potential exchange for an Iranian citizen arrested in Milan at the request of the United Sates, according to Italian daily La Repubblica.
“The subject of Italy’s negotiations with Iranian officials has been the release of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi in exchange for Cecilia Sala,” the daily reported.
Although La Repubblica linked Sala’s case to a potential swap involving Abedini, sources in the Italian Foreign Ministry denied he was part of the negotiations. Some officials also ruled out financial exchanges.
Cecilia Sala, 29, a newspaper journalist and podcaster, has been jailed in Iran on unknown charges for over a week.
Her arrest is widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of Abedini, whom US authorities say provided materials for a deadly Iran-linked drone attack on US troops in Jordan.
He was apprehended at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on December 16 and investigators found in his luggage electronic components linked to the US charges.
Earlier this month, charged Abedini and another Iranian, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi - who was arrested in the United States - with conspiring to export sensitive US technology to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Iran last week summoned a senior Italian diplomat and the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, who represents US interests in the country, over the US and Italian arrest of the two Iranians, Iranian media reported.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani are leading diplomatic efforts, supported by Italy’s External Intelligence and Security Agency (AISE), Italian news outlets reported.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially kept Sala’s arrest confidential, aiming for a quiet resolution, the newspaper reported. Her detention has again highlighted Iran’s use of foreign detainees as leverage in international negotiations.
'Hostage-taking'
The International Federation of Journalists called for Sala’s immediate release, with secretary-general Anthony Bellanger condemning Tehran’s tactics as political leverage.
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi echoed the criticism, describing Sala’s detention as hostage-taking and extortion and warning that such practices would persist without stronger Western policies.
Prior to her detention, Sala had reported on contentious topics in Iran, including widespread defiance of mandatory hijab laws and the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian.
As diplomatic talks continue, the case highlights broader tensions over Iran’s exploitation of detainees for political gains, a practice condemned by rights groups and Western nations.
