Italy calls top security meeting over Gulf, Iran crisis

Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella has summoned the country’s Supreme Council of Defence to meet at the Quirinale Palace in Rome on March 13 to deliberate on the war in Iran and the wider crisis unfolding across the Middle East.

According to a statement from the Quirinale, the agenda will also include “analysis of the international situation and the effects of the ongoing crisis,” ANSA reports.

The move comes as the Middle East conflict enters its second week, following wide-ranging strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, amid escalating tensions across the region.

In a television interview on March 8, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attributed the outbreak of war in Iran to a “breakdown of international law” and declined to either condemn or support the strikes by the US and Israel.

Last week, Meloni pledged to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries in response to Iranian airstrikes but ruled out any direct involvement by Italy in the conflict.

Established in 1950, Italy’s Consiglio supremo di difesa handles matters related to national security. The council, provided for under the constitution, serves as the forum where key political and technical issues concerning national defence are examined.

The council is chaired by the president and includes the prime minister, several key ministers—foreign affairs, interior, economy, defence, and enterprise—as well as the chief of the defence staff. It typically meets twice a year.

By Vafa Guliyeva