ROME (Reuters) – Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy on a US warrant, will return to Iran in the coming hours, Iran’s Mizan news agency reported on Sunday, after Italy’s justice minister filed a request 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 US military personnel in Jordan.
“Mohammad Abedini was detained due to a misunderstanding that was resolved through the efforts of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and negotiations between the relevant departments of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Italian intelligence services,” Mizan, Iran’s judiciary news agency, reported.
Iran has denied involvement in the drone attack and rejected accusations that it jailed Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was freed and returned home on Wednesday, in Tehran to pressure Rome to release Abedini.
Earlier on Sunday, Italy’s justice ministry said the minister had asked for Abedini’s arrest to be revoked. Under Italian law, the courts must grant the request.
“Minister (Carlo) Nordio submitted a request to the Court of Appeal in Milan to revoke the arrest of Iranian citizen Abedininajafabadi Mohammad,” the ministry said.
Nordio wrote that there were no legal requirements to extradite Abedini because it can only be done for crimes punishable in both Italy and the United States.
The statement said that violations of the US International Economic Emergency Powers Act do not correspond to conduct that is considered a criminal offense under Italian law. It added that there was no evidence to support other allegations of supporting a terrorist organization.
A spokesman for Italy’s justice ministry said he did not know whether Abedini had already left prison.
Nordio said in an interview published Thursday that the U.S. has not yet filed a formal extradition request for Abedini.
