Italy has freed Iranian national Mohammad Abedini, who was wanted by the US in connection with a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers in January 2024. Abedini was released after Italy’s justice minister asked for his arrest to be revoked, and he has since returned to Iran, according to Iranian state television on Sunday.
Abedini was apprehended on December 16, 2024, under a US warrant just as journalist Cecilia Sala was being detained while reporting from Iran. She is suspected of being used as a bargaining chip to get Abedini released; Sala was taken back to Italy last week.
The US Department of Justice accused Abedini of providing drone technology to the Iranian side, which was used in the fatal attack against a US outpost in Jordan. However, an official statement by the Italian justice ministry explained that extradition treaties between Italy and the US apply only to crimes recognized by both nations’ legal systems. The charge against Abedini, for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, is not recognized as a crime under Italian law.
Iranian state media reported that Abedini’s release was negotiated by Iran’s foreign ministry with negotiations involving the intelligence ministry in Iran and the Italian intelligence services. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni refers to a “diplomatic triangulation” between Iran, Italy, and the US as what helped secure the release of Sala. This marks the first time that US interests are confirmed to be part of the negotiations.
The freedom for Sala was just a day after Meloni had traveled unexpectedly to Florida to meet the US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. This would show the complicated diplomatic efforts in solving both cases.
