By Sabiu Abdullahi
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated that her country will continue to respect existing agreements that allow the United States to use military bases located in Italy.
However, she stressed that Italy has no intention of taking part in the ongoing war involving Iran.
Meloni spoke on Thursday during an interview on an RTL radio programme. She said the Italian government had not received any request from the United States to use its bases for military action against Iran.
“Today we have no such request and I want to say that we are not at war and we do not want to enter a war,” she said.
The prime minister explained that the agreements between Italy and the United States date back to 1954. According to her, these arrangements permit certain logistical activities and operations that do not involve direct combat.
“These are technical authorisations when we are clearly talking about logistics and so-called non-kinetic operations – simply put, operations that do not involve bombing,” she said.
Meloni also noted that if Washington later seeks approval to use Italian bases for combat operations, the government would first consult the country’s parliament before making any decision.
She expressed concern about the growing tension in the Middle East and warned that the conflict could widen. According to her, the situation carries “a risk of escalation that could have unpredictable consequences.”
Italy, alongside the United Kingdom, France and Germany, is also considering sending defensive assistance to countries in the Gulf region. Meloni said the step is intended to protect tens of thousands of Italian citizens living there, as well as about 2,000 Italian troops stationed in the region.
The Italian leader described the Gulf area as important to global energy supply and warned that the ongoing crisis could affect Italy’s economy.
She said the government was monitoring energy costs and food prices. Authorities, she added, would take action to prevent companies from taking advantage of the situation by raising prices unfairly.
The current tensions began after the United States and Israel launched a major military offensive against Iran last Saturday. Reports indicate that at least 926 people have been killed, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as Gulf states that host United States military assets.
