&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Italy will not join military action against Iran’: Meloni reaffirms ‘very clear line’ on Tehran conflict")
Italy will not participate in military operations against Iran, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday, reaffirming Rome's position as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.
Speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Meloni said Italy had maintained a consistent stance since the conflict began.
"We have had a very clear line from the beginning of the conflict in Iran … we will not participate in attacks against Iran," she said.
Also read: ‘Don’t think it’s going to start again’: Trump doesn’t expect fight with Iran to reignite
Italy has previously sought to distance itself from direct military involvement in the crisis. In March, Rome denied permission for US military aircraft bound for the Middle East to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would respond to what he described as offensive rhetoric with action rather than words. "We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor," Araghchi wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
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Also read: US 'violates MoU', launches fresh strikes on Iranian targets after attacks on vessels in Hormuz
Separately, Iranian official Ezzatollah Zarghami claimed US President Donald Trump had been "within reach" while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, but said Iran chose not to target him to preserve relations with neighbouring countries.
"Trump was within reach for retaliation over Khamenei, but in order to preserve friendship and good neighbourly relations with neighbours, we did not target him," Zarghami said in a post on X.
Zarghami, a former head of Iran's state broadcaster, also called for Turkey's ambassador to be summoned, alleging that Trump had issued orders to attack Iran while attending the summit in the country.
