Iran tells Italy it seeks prisoner swap for jailed Italian journalist

Iran's demand has not been previously reported and had been left unsaid by senior Italian officials, including the prime minister, eager for a swift end to the crisis.

Newspaper journalist and podcaster Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on unspecified charges last month and placed in solitary confinement despite working in the country on a valid press pass.

Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, 38, was arrested by Italian authorities at the behest of the United States for his alleged role in providing technology used to kill three US soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan.

Speaking to Iran International on condition of anonymity, a source familiar with discussions between the Italian government and Sala's family said Iran conveyed its terms for her release to Italy’s ambassador in Tehran.

Iran, the source said, is prepared to free Sala “on humanitarian grounds" if the Italian government drops the extradition proceedings against Abedini and grants his release from Milan's brooding La Opera prison.

On Friday, Sala's parents issued an statement calling on the media to observe a press blackout, citing the delicate nature of efforts to secure her release.

"To try to bring her home, our government has mobilized to the maximum, and now, in addition to the efforts of the Italian authorities, confidentiality and discretion are also necessary,” Italian media quoted her parents, Elizabeth Vernoni and Renato Sala, as saying in a statement.

“The stage we have reached is, however, very delicate, and the feeling is that the great media debate on what can or should be done risks prolonging the times and making a solution more complicated and distant," they added.

The Italian foreign ministry has demand Sala's “immediate release ... (and) full assurances regarding her conditions of detention.”

Sala told her family in New Year’s Day calls that her prescription glasses had been confiscated, her cell is barely longer than her own height and that she is forced to sleep on a blanket spread on the floor, according to Italian media.

A package of basic necessities, she added, including a sleeping mask, cigarettes, a book and a sweater—assembled by the Italian embassy was never delivered to her, despite Iranian officials having told Italian diplomats she would receive it.

Her food, mainly dates, is passed to her through a slot in the cell door and therefor she rarely sees her jailers, she reportedly added.

Accusation withheld

On December 30—11 days after Sala’s detention—Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued a statement confirming Sala had been arrested ten days earlier for “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Italian authorities believe the absence of any formal charges against Sala, the source told Iran International, while highlighting the arbitrary nature of her detention, could also mean Iranian officials are deliberately withholding an official accusation.

This would allow them to either release her easily if Italy cooperates on Abedini’s case, otherwise the ambiguity could empower Tehran to charge Sala with more serious offenses and impose a heavy sentence in retaliation.

At the same time, the Italian Embassy in Tehran has announced that Iran’s foreign ministry provided a list of Iranian lawyers to Paola Amadei, Italy’s ambassador, so Sala’s defense counsel can be chosen from among them.

The move belatedly grants her case the appearance of a genuine legal proceeding on par with Abedini’s in Italy.

“Complex" case

On December 20, three days after Abedini was arrested at Milan Airport, he opposed his extradition in his first court appearance. The judge issued a temporary detention order, starting a legal process that could take up to two months.

That same day at around 12:30 PM—less than an hour after the Milan court hearing ended and Abedini’s detention order was issued—Sala was arrested in Tehran.

Given that Sala’s presence in Iran was lawful and that the Ministry of Culture was aware of her itinerary, the timing was the first clear indication the cases are linked.

Italian authorities’ official statements, however, were careful not to do so.

After a week of silence about Sala’s detention—the news of which was kept from the media and public—Italian government officials have dwelled only generally on the complexity and sensitivity of her case.

“This case is complex, but we are using all possible channels of dialogue to obtain Sala’s freedom,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melon said, emphasizing her government’s tireless efforts to secure Sala’s swift release.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani too shied away from mooting an Iranian demand for a swap, saying, “We are working to resolve this complicated matter and ensuring that Cecilia Sala is held under the best possible conditions.”

The third party in this legal and diplomatic triangle—the United States, Italy’s close ally and a longtime adversary of the Islamic Republic—took a more explicit stance.

“Cecilia Sala’s detention in Tehran occurred after an Iranian national accused of smuggling drone parts was arrested in Italy," a US State Department spokesperson told La Repubblica newspaper.

"We reiterate our call for the immediate, unconditional release of all individuals who are arbitrarily and unjustly detained in Iran and are being used as political leverage.”

Referring to mounting public pressure for Sala's release, the source told Iran International that Italian officials assured her family they are working without stint.

“They have not explicitly stated they will agree to a swap demanded by Iran,” the source said, “but they have made it clear that all options are under consideration and that they will bring Sala home.”

Italy denies house arrest

While the Italian government still believes that any public political stance or diplomatic standoff with the Islamic Republic might worsen an already difficult negotiation, the country’s judiciary appears unlikely to show leniency.

Tehran may have viewed acceptance of Abedini’s lawyer’s request for a transfer to house arrest as a sign of goodwill from Italy.

The United States Justice Department strongly opposed any form of house arrest in a letter to the Court of Appeal in Milan.

Milan’s chief prosecutor, Francesca Nanni, told the court on Thursday she opposed placing Abedini under house arrest or granting him conditional release, citing inadequate assurances from the Iranian consulate that he would not attempt to flee.

The prosecutor’s recommendations are non-binding and the judges will make their decision in a hearing whose date is due to be announced on Friday.

A notorious precedent is the case of Artem Uss, a Russian businessman and son of a Russian oligarch,who fled Italy in 2023 after being placed under house arrest—despite a US extradition requests—causing a public scandal for the Italian judiciary.

Political options

Italian law allows its justice minister to intervene and halt an extradition and order the release and expulsion of a detainee.

But such a move would be politically sensitive, given that the Milan prosecutor’s office is currently acting on behalf of the justice ministry by insisting on Abedini’s continued detention, and Washington accuses him of abetting terrorist enemies.

Yet if this remains the only route to free Cecilia Sala—given the Islamic Republic’s record of exchanging detained foreign nationals for prisoners and political or economic concessions—Rome could plausibly concede.

The gravity of the matter has prompted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy, Alfredo Mantovano—who oversees the nation’s intelligence agencies—to lead the behind-the-scenes efforts to secure Sala’s freedom.

Sala’s family is unmoved by officialdom's tactful negotiations so far, the source told Iran International. They have made it clear in meetings with government officials that they will accept no justification for Sala remaining behind bars.