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.

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

Italy's ambassador to Tehran is meeting officials at the Iranian foreign ministry on Friday to present Rome's demands for the release of 29-year-old Italian journalist Cecilia Sala and for dignified conditions until she is freed after her arrest last month.

The arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has led to a diplomatic rift between Rome and Tehran, while US emerges as the third player. On US' warrant, Italy had earlier arrested an Iranian national.

Mohammad Abedini was arrested on Monday, December 16th, on US request, by the Italian police in Milan’s Malpensa airport after landing on a flight coming from Turkey. Another Iranian with US citizenship and connected to Abedini, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, was almost simultaneously arrested in Massachusetts. (Read ToI’s article on the arrests here ).

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been detained in Tehran, Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. She was in Iran on a reporting trip.

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

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.

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.

Iran confirmed the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, state news agency IRNA said citing the Iranian Ministry of Culture.