Meloni visits Gulf to cement Italy's energy ties as European rift with US over Iran widens

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni concluded a two-day tour of the Persian Gulf on April 4, meeting the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in an effort to shore up Italy's energy security as Iranian attacks on Gulf states and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz push the country towards an energy crunch.

The visit – the first by a leader of an EU, G7 or Nato country since the war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader – was disclosed only hours before it began, with Rome citing the threat of continuing Iranian missile and drone strikes across the region as the reason for the secrecy.

Meloni began the trip in Jeddah on April 3, where she met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the defensive military assistance Italy has provided to Riyadh and prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The two also addressed how to safeguard energy flows and limit the economic fallout for businesses and households.

The next day, the prime minister was received in Doha by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, where talks centred on energy security, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, described in a joint statement as "urgent and necessary," and ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. Meloni pledged Italy's readiness to help restore Qatar's energy infrastructure, which has been badly damaged by Iranian strikes. Qatar normally supplies roughly 10% of Italy's LNG imports.

The final leg of the tour took Meloni to Al Ain in the UAE, where she met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. She conveyed Italy's "strong closeness to a friendly nation, victim of continuous attacks by Iran" and expressed gratitude for Abu Dhabi's assistance in repatriating Italian citizens stranded in the Emirates when the conflict began.

"Qatar alone covers 10% of Italy's gas needs, and the Gulf area provides 15% of our oil," Meloni said in a video posted on social media at the end of the trip. "If the situation worsens, we could end up lacking all the energy we need, even in Italy."

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime energy corridors, has been effectively closed since Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli strikes by attacking Gulf states and blocking shipping. The closure has already driven up fuel prices across Europe. Rome has allocated nearly €1bn to reduce fuel excise duties in response, though the measure has so far been outpaced by rising oil prices.

Across all three meetings, Meloni raised joint investment in security and defence, critical infrastructure and migration management along Mediterranean routes. She also offered Italian technical assistance for energy infrastructure rehabilitation.

The trip came days after Meloni visited Algeria, another major gas supplier that Rome is courting as a potential source of additional flows to compensate for the Gulf shortfall.

Italy's balancing act with Washington has grown increasingly fraught since the war began. Rome quietly refused to allow the US to use its Sigonella air base in Sicily for strikes on Iran after learning, only once the aircraft were already airborne, that two US F-15 fighter jets intended to use the facility for a combat mission. Washington had neither sought prior authorisation nor consulted Italian military leadership. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto denied the request, and Meloni sought to keep the refusal confidential to avoid a rupture with the Trump administration, according to Corriere della Sera. The use of Italian bases for offensive operations against third countries contravenes bilateral agreements between Rome and Washington.

Italy was the second European Nato ally to deny the US access to its military infrastructure for the conflict, after Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez publicly refused access to two Spanish bases in early March. France, Switzerland and Austria – the latter two outside the Nato alliance – subsequently declined to grant Washington overflight rights for missions linked to the Iran war.

On the question of direct negotiations with Tehran, a path pursued by France and other European governments to secure transit rights through the strait, Meloni has so far declined to follow suit, an approach seen in Rome as difficult to reconcile with Italy's relationship with the Trump administration. Speaking on state broadcaster RAI last week, however, she struck a rare note of distance from Washington, saying that Italy disagreed with Trump’s recent threats to withdraw from Nato: "When we disagree, we have to say so, and this time we don't agree."

The growing European resistance to the war, with virtually all major US allies declining to provide direct military support for operations against Iran, underscores the deepening diplomatic strain the conflict is placing on the transatlantic alliance.