An Italian journalist detained in Iran whose fate became intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer wanted by the United States said she assumed she would have been held much longer and said her boyfriend's contact with Elon Musk might have been "fundamental" to her release.

An Italian journalist detained in Iran whose fate became intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer wanted by the United States says she assumed she would have been held much longer.

Cecilia Sala, 29, was detained last month while on a reporting trip. She had been held for 20 days and told her family that she was kept in isolation.

After more than three weeks of detention, Cecilia Sala has been released from Tehran's Evin Prison and was met at the airport in Rome by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Celilia Sala, 29, was working under a regular journalistic visa when she was detained in Tehran on December 19, accused of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic”.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has told how Elon Musk played a pivotal role in her release from an Iranian detention center.