Italy says alliance with US remains ‘solid’ despite tensions over Iran, Hormuz

Italy's alliance with the US remains "solid" despite recent tensions over Rome's position on Iran and military commitments in the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

"The alliance is solid and it is with the US, not with Trump, or Obama, or Biden," Tajani said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera published on Sunday.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump criticized Italy's stance on the Iran crisis and suggested the possibility of reducing the US military presence at bases in Italy.

Tajani said Europe and Italy still needed the US, but argued Washington also depended on Europe and Italy for strategic and economic reasons.

"It would benefit no one to weaken a continent like ours and a country like ours, which are strategically and economically essential, including for the security of the entire West," he said.

Addressing accusations from Washington that Italy had not done enough to support US efforts in the Middle East, Tajani rejected the claims as "false."

"It's not true that Italy 'did nothing,'" he said, highlighting Italy's participation in NATO and UN peacekeeping missions, particularly in Lebanon.

He said Rome was prepared to expand its role in Lebanon by offering military training to the Lebanese government and support through Italy's financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, to combat arms trafficking, drug smuggling, and terrorist financing.

"We have never backed down, from Iraq to Afghanistan: our soldiers have died defending peace and freedom," he added.

Tajani added that Italy could deploy minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz to help guarantee freedom of navigation, but stressed that such a move would require "a consolidated truce and a framework of international agreements."

"We certainly don't want to go to war, but we will do everything necessary to ensure respect for international maritime law," he said.

The foreign minister said Italy and the US remained in close contact despite differences over the Iran issue. "We're allies, and we'll remain so, but we can't agree on everything," he said.

Tajani also argued that Europe should become "stronger, more cohesive, and more independent in terms of defense and foreign policy."

On Ukraine, he said the EU must maintain a united stance in support of Kyiv and continue its sanctions policy against Russia.

He also warned that prolonged disruption in Hormuz could trigger wider economic and food security problems, particularly due to blocked fertilizer shipments from Gulf countries.

"If the blockade continues for months, we will face food crises in many African countries, and Italian farmers are certainly already paying the price for the increase in fertilizer prices," he said.