The case of the prominent Italian journalist detained in Iran is a test for Italy’s government as it gets caught up in Iran’s shadow war with the U.S.

Iran confirmed the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic", Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

Iranian authorities have confirmed the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, accusing her of violating the Islamic Republic’s laws. This development has sparked international attention, highlighting Iran’s continued use of detainees as potential political leverage.

Prominent Italian journalist and podcaster Cecilia Sala has been arrested in Iran and incarcerated in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.

The family fears that the media debate could complicate the young woman's situation in Iran.

Italy is working “tirelessly” to bring home a journalist who has been under arrest in Iran for more than a week, the country said on Friday.

Complicating matters are indications that Sala's fate has become intertwined with that of an Iranian man who was detained in Italy on 16 December, just three days before her arrest in Tehran. #EuropeN

Iran warned Italy on Friday that it risked harming good bilateral relations if it bows to the "political and hostile goals" of the United States by detaining an Iranian engineer on a U.S. warrant in connection with a drone attack in Jordan last year that killed three American troops.