Iran welcomes the return of the country held by Italy in a dispute involving the US | Political Affairs

The United States has asked Italy to arrest and retaliate against an Iranian national for allegedly transferring drone technology.

Tehran, Iran – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran's judges have confirmed the release of an Iranian, Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy at the behest of the United States.

Abedini was returned to Tehran after his arrest as part of a “misunderstanding”, said Mizan, the official press service of the judiciary on Sunday.

The report, also broadcast by state television, said his release was secured after negotiations between Iran's intelligence service and Italy's intelligence service.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baghaei in a short statement welcomed the release of the Iranian nation, accused by Washington of involvement in the January 2024 drone attack on the American military base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. He emphasized that the department will protect the rights of Iranians abroad.

Abedini was arrested on a US warrant on December 16, accused along with another Iranian of providing drone technology to Iran that was used on a US military base.

He was due to appear in court in Milan on Wednesday regarding his request for house arrest pending extradition to the US. But Italy's Ministry of Justice asked an appeals court to overturn his arrest, saying it “does not correspond to any conduct recognized by Italian law as a crime”.

Three days after Abedini's arrest, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in Tehran while traveling on a regular journalist visa and accused of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic”.

The writer and broadcaster was released last week from solitary confinement in the Iranian prison in Evin and returned home, where he was greeted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Meloni personally visited the Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in the US a few days ago to meet the US President-elect Donald Trump, who called her an “amazing woman”.

Tehran dismissed any Western speculation that the journalist's arrest was related to Rome's arrest of Abedini at the behest of the US. The Iranian regime has for decades been accused of using some prisoners as bargaining chips with the West.

A Swiss man arrested on espionage charges died in a prison in Iran's Semnan province on Thursday.

An Iranian court last month sentenced an Iranian-American journalist to 10 years in prison for “collaborating with the hostile US government”.

Iran also accuses the West, especially the US, of targeting its citizens under Washington's collective sanctions and blacklists, many of which were put in place after then-President Trump withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.

Conflicts are always high

Abedini's release on Sunday comes as Iran and the region continue to raise awareness of Israel's ongoing war in Gaza with just days left in Trump's second term as president.

Iran's top commanders with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and military this week have been warning the US and Israel against any strike on Iran's nuclear or energy infrastructure.

On Sunday, the Iranian military completed large-scale military exercises aimed at defending itself at the Fordow and Khondab nuclear sites using multiple missile and radar defense systems.

As part of exercises that began last week and will continue for weeks, the IRGC is also simulating defending the country's nuclear facilities in Natanz from attack using warplanes, missiles, and surface-to-air bombs.

Iran's military unveiled another “missile city” this week to display hundreds of missiles the administration says will be ready to launch at Israeli and US bases across the region if Iran is attacked.

As part of a show of force, which comes after Iran lost a large part of its base of resistance to the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Iran also this week displayed 110,000 troops in protests in Tehran.

Iran's nuclear program could take different paths, with the Trump administration expected to decide on a 2025 balance sheet as the West continues to accuse Tehran of arming Russia in a war with Ukraine.