Iran & Cecilia Sala: Carter’s legacy will be the Islamic republic

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.

According to a US State Department spokesperson, Cecilia Sala’s case might be linked to the recent arrest of an Iranian citizen, Mohammad Abedini, in Milan at the request of the United States. Abedini faces charges of supplying electronic parts for drones used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), allegedly resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers. The US is currently seeking his extradition from Italy.

Cecilia Sala, a 29-year-old journalist and host of a popular news and foreign affairs podcast, was detained in Iran on December 19, a day before she was scheduled to return home from a reporting trip. She is reportedly being held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s Evin Prison.

The arrest of Sala has drawn condemnation from the Italian government. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the situation “unacceptable” and noted that efforts to secure her release are “complicated” but ongoing. He described the negotiations as “very delicate” and emphasized that no timeline for her release could be guaranteed.

Sala’s employer, Chora Media, broke the news of her arrest on December 27, after initially maintaining silence at the request of her family and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company expressed hope that this silence would lead to Sala’s swift release, a hope that has yet to be realized.

Cecilia Sala’s arrest coincides with growing tensions between Iran and the West, marked by Tehran’s ongoing detention of foreign nationals. The timing of her detention, just days after Abedini’s arrest in Italy, has fueled speculation about a potential connection. While neither the Italian nor Iranian governments have confirmed a direct link, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Italian diplomat over Abedini’s arrest on December 21.

The practice of hostage diplomacy, a tactic where individuals are detained to exert political pressure on foreign governments, has long been a hallmark of Iran’s foreign policy. The passing of President Carter this week, brought back the foundation of the Islamic republic which started with a hostage crisis-the Islamic Republic’s first experiment with hostage diplomacy.

The US-Iran Hostage Crisis began on November 4, 1979, when Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. This act was ostensibly a response to the United States’ decision to grant asylum to the deposed Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, for medical treatment. It has been widely suspected that the current Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was one of the hostage takers.

This controversial approach has strained international relations, drawing global criticism while achieving mixed results for Tehran. As the world reflects on the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, it is worth examining how the US-Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979 set the stage for Iran’s continued use of hostage diplomacy. Jimmy Carter’s presidency is often overshadowed by the hostage crisis and we find ourselves again, with the Islamic Republic, holding an innocent western journalist hostage to trade for an alleged spy. The hostages were ultimately freed on January 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan succeeded Carter as president, a timing many view as a final act of humiliation for Carter, one hopes that in Sala’s case she will be released before President Trump takes office.

In the decades following the 1979 crisis, Iran has frequently detained foreign nationals on dubious charges, often accusing them of espionage or threatening national security. These detentions serve multiple purposes: leveraging concessions in negotiations, gaining bargaining chips in international disputes, and signaling defiance against perceived foreign interference.

Recent examples apart from Cecilia Sala are cases such as British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and American citizen Siamak Namazi, the detention of dual nationals and foreign academics, journalists, and activists. High-profile cases, such as those of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and American citizen Siamak Namazi, underscore Iran’s willingness to use individuals as pawns in geopolitical chess games.

Before her detention, Sala’s podcast covered a range of global current affairs. Her final episode, published a day before her arrest, focused on Zeynab Mousavi, an Iranian female stand-up comedian who was also detained by Iranian authorities and placed in solitary confinement.

Despite recent setbacks such as the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran and the annihilation of Iran’s proxies Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, the Iranian regime seems to want to continue to challenge the west and try its luck. The fall of Iran’s Shah and the ensuing theocratic regime in Iran will be the highlight of Carter’s legacy as will Iran’s use of innocent individuals as geopolitical pawns.