Iran threatens, Israel provokes reaction: endless spiral. Meloni-Netanyahu phone call

An inevitable escalation, a spiral into which the entire Middle East region and beyond is twisted. Iran rejected calls for moderation made yesterday by France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the so-called EU3), accusing them of not denouncing “Zionist crimes”. These calls, said Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, quoted by IRNA, “lack political logic and are completely contrary to the principles and rules of international law”. According to the Foreign Ministry, “without any objection to the crimes of the Zionist regime, the EU3 statement blatantly calls on Iran not to respond to the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

For its part, Israel has in recent days sent a message to the United States and several European countries that any attack by Iran will be met with an Israeli attack on Iranian territory. This was reported today by Israeli Army Radio, specifying that, according to unidentified sources, Israel has made it clear that it is ready to attack Iran even if a possible attack by Tehran does not cause injuries or casualties among the Israeli population.

The world is trying to stop the spiral. Giorgia Meloni, as part of her ongoing contacts on the crisis in the Middle East, today had a new telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister reiterated her strong hope that an agreement on a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2735, can be reached in the next round of negotiations on 15 August. President Meloni reiterated his firm support for the mediation led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. While acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defence, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of de-escalation at the regional level, including along the Israeli-Lebanese border, where the UN intervention force UNIFIL is present, with Italy playing a leading role.