By Ahmad Rafat
On Dec. 19, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took the Italian journalist Cecilia Sala into custody as she was leaving Iran for Italy. After her detention, Sala was swiftly transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran.
In actual fact, negotiations to secure the release of Cecilia Sala – who works for Il Foglio newspaper and for Chora Media — began 24 hours before her arrest.
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The day before Sala’s arrest, the chargé d’affaires of the Swiss Embassy, representing U.S. interests in Iran, and the first secretary of the Italian Embassy in Tehran were summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. This meeting was to formally protest the detention of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a 32-year-old Iranian national, at Milan Airport and the arrest of Mohammad Mehdi Sadeghi, a 42-year-old dual Iranian-American citizen from Massachusetts.
Abedini and Sadeghi are charged with supplying components for drones that the IRGC reportedly used in an attack on the U.S. military outpost Tower 22 on Jan. 28, 2024, in Rukban, northeast Jordan. The assault resulted in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers and injuring 47 others.
Sadeghi was apprehended in Massachusetts, while Abedini was detained at Milan’s Malpensa Airport upon his arrival on a flight from Istanbul, at the request of the U.S. government, and was promptly transferred to Busto Arsizio Prison, located 35 kilometers north of Milan.
“The defendants were charged with the criminal complaint on Dec. 16, 2024, and arrested on Dec. 16, 2024. Sadeghi was arrested in Massachusetts and remains in federal custody. Abedini was arrested in Italy by Italian authorities at the request of the U.S. and is pending extradition proceedings,” a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts said on Dec. 19.
“According to court documents, Abedini is the founder and managing director of an Iranian company, San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (SDRA or SADRA), that manufactures navigation modules used in the IRGC’s military drone program,” the press release noted.
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“SDRA’s main business is the sale of a proprietary navigation system known as the Sepehr Navigation System to the IRGC, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) on April 15, 2019. The primary application of SDRA’s Sepehr Navigation System is for use in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) — also known as drones and cruise and ballistic missiles,” it explained.
“Sadeghi was employed by a Massachusetts-based microelectronics manufacturer (U.S. Company 1) and was one of the founders of a Massachusetts-based technology company (U.S. Company 2) that specializes in wearable sensors that provide kinetic monitoring for fitness applications,” the press release added.
Italian police reportedly discovered samples of electronic components associated with the IRGC drones during an inspection of Abedini’s luggage. These components will be presented as evidence during his extradition court hearing.
The court faces a challenging situation due to Sala’s unlawful detention in Iran. An official from the Italian Foreign Ministry told Kayhan Life: “The Islamic Republic has made the journalist’s release contingent upon not extraditing Abedini to the U.S. and securing his release.”
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The Italian Foreign Ministry is in talks with U.S. officials in Washington and the IRGC in Tehran. A source from the Italian Foreign Ministry told Kayhan Life: “We are open to exchanging Abedini for our journalist, but we cannot proceed with such a decision without the approval of the U.S. authorities, as we detained this individual at their request. Ultimately, the release of Sala depends on the U.S.”
Sala’s family, who have been able to communicate with her twice via phone since her transfer to Evin Prison in Tehran, have remained silent at the request of the Italian Foreign Ministry and are unwilling to engage with the media.
However, a friend of the journalist told Kayhan Life: “Cecilia reassured her mother that she is doing well and has not been mistreated so far, but she concluded tearfully, ‘Please hurry and bring me back to Italy.’”
Italian ambassador to Tehran, Paola Amadei, who met with Sala in Evin Prison, has remained silent at the request of her country’s Foreign Ministry. She stated that any remarks regarding the situation could “prolong the process of this journalist’s release.”
The Italian journalist did not produce any reports during her trip that could justify her arrest. Her reports included a favorable evaluation of the government led by Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.
The 28-year-old reporter, who has previously visited Iran and has a wealth of experience reporting from both undemocratic regimes and conflict zones such as Ukraine, has not been formally charged with any crime by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic.
Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic authorities are awaiting the preliminary outcomes of direct discussions with the Italian government and indirect negotiations with the U.S. before they go ahead and file unfounded and trumped-up charges against Sala, such as “espionage,” “supporting rioters,” or “instigating public disorder.”
