Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini, who was detained in Italy on a U.S. warrant, will return to Iran in the coming hours, the Iranian news agency Mizan said on Sunday, after Italy's justice minister filed to revoke his arrest.
Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Reuters/Remo Casilli
Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini, who was detained in Italy on a U.S. warrant, will return to Iran in the coming hours, the Iranian news agency Mizan said on Sunday, after Italy's justice minister filed to revoke his arrest.
Abedini was arrested in Milan last month for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2024 attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan.
"Mohammad Abedini was detained due to a misunderstanding which was resolved through ... Iran's foreign ministry efforts and negotiations between the concerned departments of the intelligence ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Italian intelligence services," reported Mizan, the news agency of Iran's judiciary.
Iran denied involvement in the drone attack and dismissed accusations that it had imprisoned Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was freed on Wednesday and returned home, in Tehran to pressure Rome into releasing Abedini.
Earlier on Sunday, the Italian justice ministry said the minister requested that Abedini's arrest be revoked. Under Italian law, courts must abide by the request.
"Minister (Carlo) Nordio filed a request with the Milan Court of Appeal to revoke the arrest of Iranian citizen Abedininajafabadi Mohammad," the ministry said in a statement.
Nordio wrote that legal conditions were not in place to extradite Abedini as that could only be done for offences punishable both in Italy and in the United States.
The statement said violations of the U.S. International Economic Emergency Powers Act did not correspond to conduct recognisable as a crime under Italian law. It added there was no evidence corroborating the other charges of supporting a terrorist organisation.
A spokesperson for the Italian justice ministry said he was not aware if Abedini had already left prison.
Nordio said in an interview published on Thursday that the U.S. had not yet submitted a formal request to extradite Abedini.
Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome
Iran told the United States in talks last week it was ready to accept some limits on its uranium enrichment but needed watertight guarantees President Donald Trump would not again ditch a nuclear pact, a senior Iranian official said on Friday.
Iran believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the United States is possible as long as Washington is realistic, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday on the eve of a second round of talks with the Trump administration.
U.S. strikes on Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port have killed at least 74 people in the deadliest attack since the U.S. launched its large-scale campaign against the Houthis last month, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.