ROME—Iran released Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, whose arrest in Tehran last month had sparked fears of a lengthy hostage crisis—a win for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that however highlights Western countries’ vulnerability to blackmail by authoritarian regimes.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala arrived in Rome on Wednesday after she was released from the Iranian prison. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni attributes Sala's return to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has arrived back in the country’s capital after being freed from an Iranian prison where she had spent weeks in detention.