Italy: The U.S. Has Not Yet Officially Requested the Extradition of Abedini

The Italian Minister of Justice announced in an interview that the United States has not yet sent any official request for the extradition of Mohammad Abedini, who is accused of collaborating with the IRGC. In this interview published on Thursday, January 10, one day after the release of Cecilia Sala and her return to Rome, Carlo Nordio told the newspaper Stampa that currently there is no talk of Abedini's extradition as 'no official request has been sent to our ministry.' Mohammad Abedini, who has been accused by the U.S. of transferring sensitive drone parts to the IRGC, was arrested on December 17 at Milan Airport. Three days later, on December 20, Iran detained an Italian journalist named Cecilia Sala, who had traveled to Iran with a permit from the Ministry of Culture. Following the news of Ms. Sala's arrest in Tehran, the Ministry of Culture issued a vague statement claiming that she was arrested and imprisoned for 'violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,' a claim that was reiterated by the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday of this week. On the same day, the Italian newspaper Il Giornale reported that Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister, managed to obtain Donald Trump's consent to postpone Abedini's extradition to the U.S. Two days later, on Wednesday, January 19, the Italian government confirmed that Cecilia Sala, the Italian journalist, had left Evin Prison, been released, and was on her way to Rome. Giorgia Meloni's office announced that 'following intensive consultations through diplomatic and intelligence channels,' Ms. Sala had been released, and the Prime Minister personally informed her parents about this matter. In his interview today, the Italian Minister of Justice stated that the issue of Abedini 'regardless of Sala's release... is entirely legal and judicial.'