ROME — Iran warned Italy on Friday that it risked harming good bilateral relations if it bows to the “political and hostile objectives” of america by detaining an Iranian engineer on a U.S. warrant in reference to a drone assault in Jordan final yr that killed three American troops.
Tehran issued the warning to the Italian ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei, who was summoned to the international ministry, the official IRNA information company reported. The assembly occurred a day after Italy summoned the Iranian ambassador over the detention of an Italian journalist in Tehran.
The back-to-back diplomatic summonses underscored how a three-nation tangle over the fates of the 2 prisoners was getting ever extra sophisticated for Italy, which is a historic ally of Washington however maintains historically good relations with Tehran.
Mohammad Abedini was arrested by Italian authorities at Milan’s Malpensa airport on Dec. 16 on a U.S. warrant. The U.S. Justice Division accused him and one other Iranian of supplying the drone expertise to Iran that was utilized in a January 2024 assault on a U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three American troops.
Three days later, an Italian reporter for the Il Foglio day by day, Cecilia Sala, was detained in Tehran. She had arrived within the nation on Dec. 13 on a journalist visa and was arrested on prices of violating the legal guidelines of the Islamic Republic, IRNA mentioned.
Italian commentators have speculated that Iran is holding Sala as a bargaining chip to make sure Abedini’s launch, and each governments have linked their fates to 1 one other in public statements.
In accordance with IRNA, a international ministry official, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, informed Amadei that Rome’s continued detention of Abedini was an “unlawful act that’s finished based mostly on the U.S. demand and consistent with the political and hostile objectives of the nation to carry Iranian nationals hostage in numerous factors on this planet.”
Nili demanded the discharge of Abedini as quickly as potential to “forestall harm to the Tehran-Rome bilateral relations by the U.S.”
Consequently, all eyes will probably be on the Milan court docket of appeals, which scheduled a listening to for Jan. 15 to resolve whether or not to maintain Abedini at Milan’s Opera jail or grant him home arrest pending the beginning of the prolonged extradition course of to the U.S.
The U.S. authorities hasn’t commented publicly on Abedini’s petition, however prior to now it has complained to Italy’s justice ministry a couple of half-dozen circumstances of suspects wished by the U.S. who escaped from the Italian justice system earlier than they could possibly be extradited.
On Friday, Abedini’s lawyer, Alfredo De Francesco visited his shopper in jail and mentioned he had requested him about Sala. He mentioned Abedini had heard about Sala’s case contained in the jail and didn’t perceive any connection to him.
“He requested me if she had been arrested and the way she had been arrested, and why not directly they wished to attach her to him,” the lawyer mentioned. “I defined the scenario to him, even what is alleged on tv, as a result of it’s ineffective to disclaim it, however I defined to him.”
The lawyer harassed that on the floor the 2 circumstances are separate however mentioned Abedini was emotional in listening to about her plight.
“He requested me to put in writing the identify of Cecilia Sala on a chunk of paper we had with pen, in order that he may accurately pronounce her identify,” De Francesco informed reporters outdoors the jail. “He was very moved by this factor, to know that she is a girl in jail proper now, and so he prays for her, for him.”
U.S. federal prosecutors charged Abedini and his co-defendant with export management violations after FBI specialists analyzed the drone navigation system used within the Jordan assault and traced it to them. U.S. prosecutors mentioned Abedini’s Tehran-based firm manufactures navigation programs for the navy drone program of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Iran’s embassy to Italy has related Sala’s destiny to that of Abedini, saying in an announcement posted to X that it’s going to respect Sala’s rights and expects Italy to do the identical for Abedini.
The fragile diplomatic triangle poses one thing of a headache for the federal government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, which continues to be stinging from the embarrassment of getting misplaced observe of one other high-profile goal wished by the U.S.
Russian businessman Artyom Uss, wished by the U.S. on alleged sanctions violations, escaped from Italy in 2022 after he was granted home arrest, regardless of warnings from the U.S. that he was a flight threat.
Uss, the son of a Russian regional governor, later resurfaced in Russia. Meloni acknowledged on the time that there have been grave “anomalies” within the dealing with of his case and ordered an investigation.
Milan’s normal prosecutor, Francesca Nanni, has opposed Abedini’s movement for home arrest, saying he’s a flight threat and that not even ensures from Iran’s consulate in Milan have been ample to make sure he wouldn’t disappear.
The problem may come up subsequent week when Meloni hosts President Joe Biden on his remaining international journey earlier than leaving workplace.
Historically, Iran has loved calm diplomatic relations with Italy in comparison with different European nations akin to Britain, France and Germany. These nations routinely accuse Tehran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and producing weapon-grade uranium, prices Iran denies.
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Related Press author Nasser Karimi contributed from Tehran, Iran.
