8 hours ago
17
Iran's Foreign Ministry has begun efforts to secure the release of Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested at Milan Airport in connection with a drone strike over Jordan that killed US troops, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported Saturday.
"The lack of official notification to the Iranian embassy and the denial of access to Abedini, an Iranian citizen, is a clear example of abduction," Tasnim wrote.
The US Justice Department on Monday charged Abedini and another Iranian, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, with conspiring to export sensitive US technology to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including navigation systems for military drones linked to the deaths of three US service members.
Dual US-Iranian national Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, and Abedini, 38, of Tehran, were charged with violating US export control and sanctions laws.
Abedini is also accused of providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, leading to the deaths of three US soldiers in a January drone attack on a military base in Jordan.
At the time, the US Department of Defense attributed the attack to Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. It was the deadliest assault on US troops since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel ignited a broader conflict involving Israel and groups aligned with Tehran.
Sadeghi was arrested in Massachusetts, while Abedini was detained in Italy at the request of US authorities. Both face up to 20 years in prison, with Abedini also facing charges that could carry a life sentence.
