Italy's prime minister delivered her most forceful rebuke to date of the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran, framing those strikes as one element in a widening pattern of interventions she said step "outside the scope of international law." The remarks, made to the Italian Senate, came amid domestic opposition complaints that the right-wing government had shown insufficient critical distance from its Western allies.
While most European governments have refrained from direct condemnation of the U.S. and Israeli operations and largely urged restraint - with Spain noted as an exception - the prime minister articulated a more pointed critique to lawmakers. She nonetheless reiterated a core security concern: Iran must be prevented from developing nuclear weapons, a development she said would undermine the international non-proliferation framework and have "dramatic repercussions for global security," exposing Italy and Europe to a potential nuclear threat from Tehran.
The conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran has continued across the Middle East into its 12th day, during which time air strikes have been exchanged and the disruption of energy supplies has intensified. The confrontation has halted the flow of roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies, a fact lawmakers cited as part of the broader regional and economic fallout.
In her Senate address, the prime minister drew a parallel between the present escalation in the Middle East and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying both episodes have contributed to a larger structural crisis in the international system. "It is in this context of structural crisis in the international system, in which threats are becoming increasingly frightening and unilateral interventions outside the scope of international law are multiplying, that we must also place the American and Israeli intervention against the Iranian regime," she said.
On operational measures, Rome has begun supplying air-defence assets to Gulf states that have been targeted by strikes from Tehran. The government framed that assistance as both an expression of solidarity with strategic partners and a protection measure for Italians in the region. The prime minister noted there are "tens of thousands of Italian citizens" living in the Gulf area and roughly 2,000 Italian soldiers stationed there, both factors driving Italy's decision to provide defensive equipment.
Her parliamentary remarks followed repeated charges from opposition parties that her administration's public posture toward allied actions had been too accommodating. The prime minister's comments combined an explicit security warning about nuclear proliferation with a critique of the wider international trend toward unilateral military measures, while describing concrete steps Italy is taking to shield its citizens and forces in the Gulf.
Summary
Italy's leader criticised U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as part of a dangerous trend of extra-legal interventions, warned of the risks of Iranian nuclear proliferation, and said Italy is supplying air-defence systems to Gulf partners to protect citizens and deployed troops.