NEARLY two-thirds of Italians back Spain’s hard line on the Iran war, a new poll suggests.
A joint survey by Eumetro and political talk show PiazzaPulita found 69.5% of Italians think Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni should block the US from using military bases in Italy to launch attacks on Iran.
Just 15.9% disagreed, while 14.6% said they were undecided, according to the poll.
The figures land only days after Meloni – leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party – finally broke her silence on the US-Israeli assault, blasting the conflict as ‘outside the scope of international law.’
Her statement to parliament came after opposition parties repeatedly accused the government of being too soft on its allies.
Across Europe, most governments have stopped short of directly criticising Washington or Jerusalem, instead issuing broad calls for restraint. Spain has been the major exception.
Despite her rebuke of the strikes, Meloni – who enjoys close ties with US President Donald Trump – insisted Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
She warned that Tehran acquiring the bomb would shatter the global non-proliferation framework and carry ‘dramatic repercussions for global security,’ potentially exposing Italy and the rest of Europe to a nuclear threat.
“It is in this context of structural crisis in the international system – where threats are growing more frightening and unilateral interventions outside international law are multiplying – that the American and Israeli intervention against the Iranian regime must also be viewed,” she said.
Speaking on RTL 102.5 radio on Thursday, Meloni stressed Italy has received no request from Washington to use its bases for military action against Iran.
But she warned that if such a request did come, her government would assess the situation together with parliament before making a decision.
READ MORE: Spain permanently pulls its ambassador from Israel and downgrades embassy as relations hit new low
Meanwhile Spain has emerged as the loudest European critic of the war, taking a far tougher line against the military campaign than most of its EU neighbours.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has branded the US-Israeli strikes ‘unjustified’ and ‘outside international law,’ repeatedly calling for immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomacy rather than further military action.
Early in March, the Spanish government refused to allow the United States to use the joint bases at Rota and Moron for operations linked to the attacks on Iran, arguing that any use of Spanish territory must comply with the UN Charter and international law.
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