(Adnkronos) – Italy is working with European and regional partners to de-escalate the crisis in the Middle East triggered by the United States and Israel’s six-day-old strikes on Iran and Tehran’s reprisal attacks centred on the Gulf, and believes diplomacy is the only way to achieve a “complex and fragile” peace,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
“We are encouraging all sides to exercise maximum restraint, keeping channels of dialogue open with Iran, without betraying our values. Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons and missile systems capable of posing an existential threat to Israel, the region, and Europe,” Tajani told MPs.
“The guiding principle of our commitment remains de-escalation,” Tajani said.
Tajani and defence minister Guido Crosetto were reporting to Italy’s lower house of parliament on the widening US-Israel-Iran war.
Italy’s government said it has not received a request from the US to use its air bases for attacks on Iran but premier Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday that Rome will send air defence systems to Gulf allies who have requested these.
