Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has pledged to free Italian journalist, Cecilia Sala, who was detained in Iran.

Ms Sala has been held in solitary confinement in Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison without any explanation for over a week.

The 29-year-old journalist and podcaster was arrested on Dec 19 at her hotel in the Iranian capital a day after she presented a podcast for Chora Media about a jailed female Iranian comedian.

Ms Meloni said she was “following the complex affair closely” and was pursuing every avenue to bring the young journalist home.

“In agreement with her parents, we are pursuing this objective by activating all possible avenues of dialogue and with necessary caution,” the prime minister said in a statement.

Ms Sala, who was due to return to Italy on Dec 20, has not been charged with any crime and there is growing speculation she was detained in Teheran’s most notorious prison as a reprisal for Italy’s arrest of an Iranian national wanted by the US.