Rubio talks to Meloni and Tajani about US, Italian and EU relations: from the Iran war to Trump's tariffs

Published on 08/05/2026 - 20:19 GMT+2

Marco Rubio's sojourn to Rome, after an assemblage astatine the Vatican with the Pope connected Thursday, saw talks connected Friday with the Italian government: a ‘positive meeting’, during which it was reiterated that the "American beingness successful Europe is important" and that Italy "does not privation commercialized wars", announced Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who received the US Secretary of State earlier before helium proceeded to Palazzo Chigi to conscionable Giorgia Meloni.

The speech with the Italian premier lasted an hr and a fractional and touched connected planetary existent events successful the Middle East. "We await a improvement successful the coming hours" connected the bid negotiations with Iran, said Rubio, who reiterated to Meloni however US President Donald Trump "has not yet decided connected the withdrawal of troops" successful Italy, but that helium personally is simply a "strong protagonist of Nato" and the anticipation of having forces successful Europe "that we tin deploy successful different exigency situations."

"With Meloni we person not talked astir bases," the US caput of authorities said astatine a property constituent astatine the US embassy successful Rome, "but immoderate countries similar Spain by denying usage person created unnecessary dangers for us.

As for Lebanon, determination volition beryllium talks "probably adjacent week" and "Italy tin bash thing much successful helping to resoluteness the concern due to the fact that of its expertise and beingness connected the ground," Rubio continued, who besides returned to the "very positive" sojourn to Leo XIV.

"It was an important gathering to speech our views and explanations connected what we are doing. I updated them connected the concern successful Iran and expressed our views connected wherefore this cognition was important and the information Iran poses to the world," helium said further.

Tajani and Rubio's speech astatine the Farnesina

"I reaffirmed Italy's afloat enactment for diplomacy arsenic the lone mode to debar further escalation successful the Middle East and guarantee state of planetary navigation," Tajani wrote connected X aft the meeting, "when conditions allow, successful Hormuz we are acceptable to lend to a multilateral naval initiative, and of a antiaircraft nature, to guarantee state of navigation."

The Italian curate besides reiterated 'that it is important to person an American beingness successful Europe to fortify NATO and of people it is besides important to person a beardown committedness from Europeans successful this regard, which the Europeans are doing'.

It is indispensable 'for Western nations to support their economical interests', the US State Department announced successful a enactment astatine the extremity of the gathering wherever 'bilateral practice arsenic good arsenic planetary and determination information challenges were discussed', wrote the Secretary of State's spokesman, Tommy Pigott.

On the docket of the talks astatine the Farnesina were the strengthening of Italy's and the EU's relations with the US, the situation successful Iran, the aboriginal of the ceasefire successful Lebanon and the Unifil mission, the concern successful Ukraine, Venezuela and Cuba.

"Italy is successful favour of 'a large market' that includes Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico," Tajani yet said regarding the caller menace of tariffs connected the car sector launched by US President Donald Trump past week.

During his gathering with Tajani , Rubio presented a household histrion attesting to his Piedmontese, arsenic good arsenic Cuban, origins, successful the beingness of the president of the Piedmont Region and the politician of Casal Monferrato.