(Adnkronos) – For ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz freely and safely is “in the interest of the world”, Italy said on Wednesday, underlining that it will not send a military mission to the Gulf but could take part in an international force to ensure freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway once the 10-week-old United States-Israel war against Iran is over.
“Everyone agrees that a credible agreement must provide for full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It cannot be held hostage by military force or through the imposition of tolls,” Tajani told the foreign and affairs and defence committees of parliament’s upper and lower houses.
“Hormuz must return to being a free and open international strait: it is in Italy’s interest, it is in Europe’s interest, it is in the world’s interest,” Tajani said.
While Tajani and defence minister Guido Crosetto were not asking lawmakers to authorise a new military mission, Italy “has vital interests in the Gulf: energy, commercial, and strategic” and “cannot be mere spectators,” he stated.
“Our intention is to share with Parliament, within the framework of an open and transparent dialogue, the government’s commitment to peace and, in this context, the path that could lead to our participation in an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Tajani.
Italy always pursues its commitment to peace and dialogue “in close coordination with our partners, in Europe and within the G7 (Group of Seven) and multilateral organisations,“ Tajani noted.
Any commitment to a possible international force to patrol the Strait of Hormuz “can only materialise – and I emphasise this – after the definitive cessation of hostilities,” Tajani argued.
“No ship will be deployed to Hormuz without this Parliament’s authorisation, none of our military personnel will be stationed in a theatre (of war) that does not offer adequate security guarantees, and without a precise international legal framework,” he said.
“But we must not be caught unprepared when the necessary conditions arise,” Tajani warned.
“What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be reduced to a regional crisis which, as some would like, we should stay out of,” Tajani continued
“This is a global shock. A crisis that directly affects national security and the competitiveness of our economy,” he underlined.
