Iran Issues Warning to Italy Over Detention of Iranian Engineer

Iran has issued a stern warning to Italy, cautioning that the bilateral relations between the two nations could be jeopardized if Italy succumbs to the “political and hostile goals” of the United States by detaining an Iranian engineer. This engineer, Mohammad Abedini, was arrested in connection with a drone attack in Jordan last year that resulted in the deaths of three American troops.

The warning was conveyed to the Italian ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei, who was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, as reported by the official IRNA news agency. This diplomatic engagement occurred just a day after Italy summoned the Iranian ambassador regarding the detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Tehran.

This series of diplomatic summons highlights the increasingly intricate situation for Italy, which finds itself entangled in a three-nation dilemma concerning the fates of the two detainees. Italy has long been a traditional ally of the United States, yet it also maintains robust relations with Tehran, creating a delicate balancing act.

On December 16, 2023, Abedini was apprehended by Italian authorities at Milan’s Malpensa Airport based on a US warrant. The US Justice Department has accused him, along with another Iranian national, of providing drone technology to Iran that was utilized in the January 2024 attack on a US outpost in Jordan, leading to the tragic loss of three American lives. Just three days after Abedini’s arrest, Cecilia Sala, who had arrived in Iran on December 13 on a journalist visa, was detained on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic. Reports indicate that she is currently held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, recognized for housing political dissidents.

Speculation among Italian commentators suggests that Iran may be using Sala as leverage to negotiate Abedini’s release. According to IRNA, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, a foreign ministry official, expressed to Amadei that Rome’s ongoing detention of Abedini constitutes an “illegal act aligned with US demands” and part of a broader agenda to hold Iranian nationals as hostages across various global locations.

As the situation unfolds, all eyes will be on the Milan court of appeals, which has scheduled a hearing for January 15, 2024. This hearing will determine whether Abedini will remain incarcerated at Milan’s Opera prison or be granted house arrest while the lengthy extradition process to the United States is initiated. While the US government has not publicly commented on Abedini’s case, it has previously raised concerns with Italy’s justice ministry regarding multiple cases of suspects wanted by the US who managed to escape extradition from Italy.

On Friday, Abedini’s lawyer, Alfredo De Francesco, visited him in prison and inquired about Sala’s situation. He reported that Abedini had learned about Sala’s case within the prison but was perplexed by any perceived connection between them. “He asked me if she had been arrested and how she had been arrested, and why in some way they wanted to connect her to him,” De Francesco stated. “I explained the situation to him, even what is said on television, because it is useless to deny it, but I explained it to him.”

US federal prosecutors have charged Abedini and his co-defendant with export control violations after FBI specialists analyzed the drone navigation system used in the Jordan attack and traced it back to them. Prosecutors allege that Abedini’s Tehran-based company produces navigation systems for the military drone program of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Iran’s embassy in Italy linked Sala’s fate to that of Abedini, asserting that it will uphold Sala’s rights and anticipates that Italy will reciprocate by ensuring Abedini’s rights are respected as well.

Historically, Iran has enjoyed relatively stable diplomatic relations with Italy compared to other European nations, such as the UK, France, and Germany, which frequently accuse Tehran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and producing weapon-grade uranium—charges that Iran consistently denies.