Arrests in Milan, Retaliation in Tehran; Tensions in Iran-Italy Relations

Continuing the back-and-forth stemming from the arrest of Mohammad Abedini in Milan and the subsequent detention of Cecilia Sala in Tehran, the Islamic Republic warned Italy about the potential threat to the 'good' bilateral relations between the two countries. On Friday, January 14, the Islamic Republic referred to Mohammad Abedini as an 'Iranian engineer' and warned Italy that his continued detention at the request of the United States could jeopardize relations between Tehran and Rome. The warning message from the Islamic Republic to Italy was conveyed on Friday after the summoning of Paola Amadi, the Italian ambassador to Iran, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a day after Italy summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador in protest against the arrest of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, in Tehran. While the Islamic Republic describes Mohammad Abedini as an 'Iranian engineer,' Italy has arrested him at the request of the United States on charges of involvement in last year's drone attack by the Islamic Republic's proxy groups on a U.S. military base in Jordan, which resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers. Mohammad Abedini was arrested on December 16 at Milan's Malpensa Airport. U.S. prosecutors have accused him and another individual of providing drone navigation technology for an attack planned for January 2024 on a U.S. military base in Jordan. Just three days after this event, Cecilia Sala, a journalist for the Italian newspaper 'Il Foglio,' was arrested in Tehran. She entered Iran on a journalist visa and was detained for allegedly violating Islamic Republic laws. Italian analysts believe that Sala's arrest was aimed at pressuring Italy to secure Abedini's release. The Milan Court of Appeals has scheduled a session for January 25 to decide on the continuation of Abedini's detention in prison or placing him under house arrest. U.S. prosecutors have also accused Abedini of violating export laws, believing that his company in Tehran produces drone navigation systems for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' military programs, which were also used in the drone attack on Jordan. On the other hand, the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' reported on Thursday, January 13, that Cecilia Sala is essentially a prisoner of the ayatollahs, who have yet to announce any specific charges for her detention. She is being held in solitary confinement and is only told in general terms that she has 'violated the laws of the Islamic Republic.' The newspaper added that since her arrest and transfer to Evin Prison in Tehran, Ms. Sala has been sleeping on a blanket and has only one other blanket to protect herself from the biting cold of Evin. This is while 'contrary to the claims of Islamic Republic officials that she will be treated with respect and dignity, she has not been provided with even basic necessities or her glasses.'