Tehran’s message to Rome

“Before we talk about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Italy must firmly oppose the blatant violation of international law by the American-Zionist aggressors!”, writes the Iranian embassy in Rome in a post on

Before talking about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Italy must firmly oppose the blatant violation of International Law by the American-Zionist aggressors!
Insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz is a direct result of states’ aggression…

— Embassy of the RI of Iran-Rome (@iraninitaly) April 3, 2026

“If you are worried about the global energy and fertilizer crisis – urges the Tehran representation – force the aggressors to completely and definitively end the war, so that stability can return to the region”.

20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively blocks the sea channel, paralyzing crude oil traffic in the Persian Gulf for weeks. The effects on the cost of oil are evident, with a barrel rising even above 100 dollars, and on fuel prices, with significant increases in numerous countries, including Italy. To deal with the high cost of fuel, the Italian government has launched and confirmed the cut in excise duties, which will remain in force for the entire month of April.

The EU plan

In this context, the EU recommends that member states, and also Italy, draw on the tools of the International Energy Agency to find ideas for reducing demand, as underlined by EU Commissioner Dan Jorgensen during a press conference at the end of the extraordinary meeting of energy ministers at the beginning of the week. “We know that there are different national circumstances, so we cannot impose a single solution on everyone, but it is clear that the more we manage to save on oil, especially diesel, the better it will be for everyone,” he said.

The IEA recommended a 10-point plan that includes teleworking, reducing speed limits by at least 10km on motorways, encouraging the use of public transport, reducing car access to cities and using efficient, fuel-efficient driving. “It’s not that we expect all member states to apply all 10 of these points for demand reduction, but it already represents a good toolkit, and therefore I recommend that each country checks what its possibilities are for applying it.”