Iran, what Prime Minister Meloni said today: Tajani-Rubio phone call

“Despite the difficult days we are facing, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to close this debate dedicated to a topic that I consider crucial not only for the future of Africa, but for the future of Europe as a whole”, said Meloni when speaking at the conference.

Tajani speaks on the phone with Rubio

Meanwhile today the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as announced by the Farnesina. During the telephone conversation Tajani “expressed his concern of the Italian Government that Iran is widening the conflict in the Middle Eastreaching the point of hitting all the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf”. And after confirming “Italy’s decisive support for the friendly countries of the Gulf, political and economic partners of our country”, he highlighted that “the closure of Hormuz, if prolonged, could cause severely negative effects on international economies”.

“Italy confirms the objective that Iran should not end up possessing military nuclear devices, and hopes that we can reach an end to the conflict to which careful political and diplomatic work should contribute”, Tajani wrote again on X.

Rubio and Tajani “spoke on the phone and discussed recent developments in Iran and the Middle East in general”, announced Tommy Pigott, chief spokesperson for the US State Department, adding that “the leaders reaffirmed the strong partnership between the United States and Italy”.

Communications from the Foreign Minister and the Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, are scheduled in Parliament tomorrow. The executive, faced with the winds of war and the risk of escalation, aims – according to what we learn from centre-right parliamentary sources – to obtain from the Chamber and Senate the necessary political action, a sort of mandate, to deal with the next developments of the crisis.

The Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani – we read in a note from his press office – informed the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa and the President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana that the “government intends to report in the parliamentary chambers on the evolution of the international situation and on the request for aid from the Gulf countries”. Still on the international front, yesterday Tajani also addressed the topic of the possible request from the United States on the use of Italian military bases in the context of the crisis: “When the request arrives” from Washington on the use of Italian bases for the war against Iran, “the government will evaluate it”.

Precisely in light of the evolution of the scenario, a new summit dedicated to the analysis of the developments of the crisis in the Middle East and the related economic implications, chaired by Meloni, took place today at Palazzo Chigi. The meeting was attended by Tajani, the other deputy prime minister and minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini (connected remotely), Crosetto, the minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, the undersecretaries to the presidency of the Council Alfredo Mantovano and Giovanbattista Fazzolari, as well as the top intelligence officials. To ensure maximum presence and punctuality in the Chamber for tomorrow’s communications, a clear indication would have been given to parliamentarians from FdI’s top management: everyone must be present. The presentation of one is also scheduled for tomorrow