(Adnkronos) - Italy on Thursday underlined its opposition to war - as enshrined in the country's constitution - while remaining "loyal allies" of the United States and leaving open the possibility of helping ensure safe passage for merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz global oil shipment chokepoint.
"We are loyal allies,
but we must not and do not wish to join a war which has nothing to do with us. We do not want to be part of a conflict. We have always said this: we reject war, as our Constitution states," foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of the European People's Party pre-summit in Brussels.
"This does not mean we will not go to Hormuz; it does not mean we are not allies of the United States. We are allies of the United States, but there are common positions that we defend and support," Tajani stated.
Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan on Thursday issued a joint statement strongly condemning recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial ships in the Gulf and on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations and its "de facto" closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait," reads the statement from the six countries' leaders. It urges Iran to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817 passed on 11 March calling on Tehran "to halt its threats, provocations and actions aimed at interfering with maritime trade, as well as support to proxy groups across the region."
China, which abstained from the vote, along with Russia, claiming the resolution was biased, said the US and Israel launched military strikes last month against Iran without UNSC authorisation and must cease their attacks immediately.
