Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been released from detention in Iran and is returning to Italy after a three-week ordeal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on January 8.

A plane carrying Sala departed Tehran following "intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence channels", the prime minister's office said in a statement, marking the end of a detention that had strained diplomatic relations between Rome and Tehran.

Sala, 29, a correspondent for Il Foglio newspaper and Chora Media podcasts, was detained in Tehran on December 19, just three days after arriving on a journalist visa.

She had been in Iran since December 12 producing episodes of her "Stories" podcast before authorities prevented her from boarding her scheduled December 20 return flight.

Iran's General Directorate of Foreign Media confirmed the detention on December 30, stating it was "conducted in accordance with relevant regulations".

Officials maintained that Sala received consular access and was permitted phone contact with her family throughout her detention period.

The case gained complexity due to its timing, coinciding with Italy's arrest of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, 38, a Swiss-Iranian businessman detained at Milan's Malpensa airport on a US warrant.

He faces charges of illegally exporting electronic devices potentially used in drones and allegations of terrorism-related criminal association.

It is unknown whether Italy has released Najafabadi as part of a potential prisoner swap just 24 hours after Meloni flew to Florida to meet with President-elect Donald Trump.

Chora Media initially maintained silence about Sala's arrest at the request of her family and Rome authorities, who believed discretion could expedite her release.

The company later shifted strategy, launching a social media campaign with the hashtag #FreeCecilia, declaring that "her free voice has been silenced, and neither Italy nor Europe can tolerate this arbitrary arrest".

EU parliamentarian Hannah Neumann had characterised the situation as "another hostage" taken by Iran, calling it "an assault on media freedom, on women, on international law". Italy consistently denounced the detention as "unacceptable" throughout the three-week period.

The resolution of Sala's case marks a diplomatic success for Italy, though questions remain about the conditions of her release and potential implications for the pending case against Najafabadi in Milan.