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 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.

Elon Musk was instrumental in securing the release of a young Italian journalist who was jailed in Iran on trumped-up charges, it was reported on Thursday.

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