The US had requested Italy to arrest and extradite the Iranian individual for allegedly transferring drone technology.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and judiciary have confirmed the release of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini, who had been detained in Italy at the request of the United States.
Abedini was returned to Tehran after being arrested due to what was described as a “misunderstanding,” according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news outlet. The report, also broadcast on state television, stated that his release followed negotiations between Iran’s intelligence ministry and the Italian intelligence service.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei issued a brief statement welcoming Abedini’s return, noting that the Iranian national is accused by the U.S. of involvement in a January 2024 drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. Baghaei emphasized that the ministry would continue to defend the rights of Iranian citizens abroad.
Abedini was arrested on a U.S. warrant on December 16, 2024, along with another Iranian, accused of supplying drone technology to Iran that was later used in the attack on the U.S. military base.
Abedini was scheduled to appear in a Milan court on Wednesday to request house arrest while awaiting possible extradition to the U.S. However, Italy’s Justice Ministry intervened, asking an appeals court to revoke his arrest, arguing that his actions did not constitute a crime under Italian law.
Three days after Mohammad Abedini’s arrest, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained in Tehran while traveling on a regular journalist visa. She was accused of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic.”
Sala, a writer and podcaster, was released from solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison last week and returned to Italy, where she was welcomed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Meloni had earlier made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who praised her as a “fantastic woman.”
Tehran has denied speculation from the West that Sala’s arrest was linked to Italy’s detention of Abedini at the request of the U.S. The Iranian government has long been accused of using prisoners as leverage in diplomatic negotiations with Western countries.
In a separate incident, a Swiss national held on spying charges died in a prison in Iran’s Semnan province on Thursday. Last month, an Iranian-American journalist was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “collaborating with the hostile U.S. government.” Iran accuses the West, particularly the U.S., of targeting its citizens under unilateral sanctions, many of which were imposed after President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tensions in the region remain high, particularly as the fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza continues, with just days left before the potential start of a second Trump presidency.
Top commanders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and army have been warning the U.S. and Israel against any attacks on Iranian nuclear or energy infrastructure. On Sunday, Iranian forces completed large-scale military exercises to practice defense strategies for their Fordow and Khondab nuclear sites, using missile defense systems and radar. As part of the drills, the IRGC also simulated the defense of Iran’s main nuclear facilities at Natanz from aerial attacks.
Iran also unveiled a “missile city” to demonstrate the vast number of ballistic missiles it claims could be launched at Israel and U.S. bases in the region if provoked.
This show of force comes amid a shift in regional power dynamics following the loss of President Bashar al-Assad’s control in Syria. This week, Iran also paraded 110,000 troops in demonstrations in Tehran.
The future of Iran’s nuclear program and its relations with the West will likely depend on the policies of the incoming Trump administration. Additionally, Tehran faces continued accusations of supplying arms to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
