Since the outbreak of the war between Iran and the United States, Italy has acted together with its European partners, the G7 and multilateral organisations to promote a cessation of hostilities, ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and restore stability in the Middle East. Within this framework, our country has expressed its willingness to take part, once the conflict has ended, in an international defensive coalition aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait.
As I recalled in recent hours in my address to a parliamentary committee in Italy, for our Government the blockade of Hormuz is not a mere regional crisis, but a global shock destined to affect energy security, industrial competitiveness and international economic balances. This is a particularly significant risk for all countries in the region, but also for an exporting country such as Italy, whose exports account for around 40% of GDP.
The Strait of Hormuz, as we know, is a strategic hub of global trade: around 20% of global oil, a quarter of liquefied natural gas exports and a significant share of raw materials essential to international supply chains pass through it. The insecurity of trade routes and rising energy prices have already begun to affect European households and businesses. Despite the slowdown in global trade and the impact of tariffs, in 2025 Italian exports still grew by 3.3%, confirming how essential the stability of maritime routes is to the national economy.
What concerns us, however, is not only the impact on domestic industry. Alarm is also growing over the consequences for the most fragile countries in Africa and the wider Mediterranean region. Around 30% of global fertiliser exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and these are essential for the food security of many vulnerable economies. The case of Sudan, where one of the world’s most serious humanitarian crises continues to unfold, is emblematic. Rising energy and fertiliser prices risk reducing agricultural production, fuelling inflation and worsening instability, famine and migratory flows towards Europe.
For this reason, at the beginning of May we convened a meeting together with my Croatian counterpart — the current President of the MED9 — inviting thirty countries from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Balkans, as well as the FAO, to launch the “Rome Coalition for Food Security and Access to Fertilisers”, a permanent forum to identify immediate and concrete solutions.
Our assessment is that the Hormuz crisis reflects a broader conflict rooted in decades of tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran. In this context, we continue to maintain that diplomacy remains the only viable path, and we reiterate that Tehran must not acquire nuclear weapons or missile systems capable of further destabilising the region.
We cannot forget the repression of youth protests in Iran, brutally suppressed by the regime. This repression continues today through arrests and capital executions against opponents. In recent weeks, Tehran has indiscriminately struck residential areas, hotels, hospitals and energy infrastructure in several Gulf countries. These ongoing attacks have been firmly condemned by us, and we have expressed solidarity with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
On the diplomatic front, I have maintained constant contact with my friend the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom I met in Rome in recent days. We agreed on the need to preserve the transatlantic bond and to work jointly for international peace and stability. I also confirmed support for ongoing negotiations in Pakistan, which we consider essential to keeping a diplomatic perspective open.
I have continued dialogue with the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, stressing the need for Tehran to negotiate in “good faith” and resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, while at the same time rebuilding positive relations with Gulf countries.
In recent weeks I also travelled to China, where I met Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whom I urged to play a more active role for Beijing in mediating with Tehran. At the same time, Rome maintains a direct channel with Gulf regional partners, considered indispensable interlocutors for any lasting diplomatic solution and for the future restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait.
On the operational level, Italy stands ready to make available the experience gained in European naval missions in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. In particular, we consider it necessary to strengthen the European mission ASPIDES, which currently sees only Italy and Greece engaged in patrols in the Red Sea to ensure maritime transport security.
In the multinational mission that will be launched in the Strait of Hormuz, Italy could contribute to mine-clearing operations and to the safety of commercial navigation.
We nevertheless believe that lasting peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without stability in Lebanon.
The Italian Government supports the dialogue between Israel and Beirut mediated by the United States and has offered its willingness to host direct talks between the parties. During my mission to Lebanon last April, I reiterated to President Joseph Aoun Italy’s support for a process that turns the current ceasefire into a genuine peace process.
Washington and Brussels increasingly look to Rome as a key actor in strengthening the statehood of Beirut, an issue I also addressed during my recent meeting at the Farnesina with the Lebanese Foreign Minister.
We also remain fully attentive to the security of our military personnel engaged in the UNIFIL mission, the bilateral MIBIL mission and the Italian-led Military Technical Committee for Lebanon. At the same time, we will continue to call for the protection of Christian communities in the country, following violence by extremist Israeli settlers against villages in southern Lebanon, including those with Christian majorities.
The issue of violence by extremist Israeli settlers was also addressed in Brussels, where European ministers have just approved new, significant sanctions against them. In the same session, further sanctions were approved against Hamas terrorists, whose disarmament remains an absolute priority. Italy continues to closely monitor the situation in Gaza and the Palestinian Territories, maintaining an active role in humanitarian assistance and in future reconstruction efforts, with the aim of achieving two states able to live side by side in peace and security.
In this context also falls the arrival in Italy, in recent days, of 72 Palestinian students awarded scholarships at Italian universities: an investment we consider part of the training of the future Palestinian ruling class.
Antonio Tajani is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy