Italy is "not at war" in the Red Sea, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Sunday, urging the EU to strengthen its naval mission protecting merchant shipping in the strategic waterway.
"No, we are not at war," Tajani told Italian daily Corriere della Sera when asked about a recent attack involving an Italian fighter jet and Houthi statements that they were not at war with Italy.
Tajani's comments follow a Houthi strike on the Taif airbase in Saudi Arabia, which reportedly damaged an Italian F-2000 (Eurofighter) aircraft on the ground.
Tajani said the European Aspides mission was created as a defensive operation to protect merchant ships transiting the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb from potential Houthi attacks.
He said Italy would continue supporting the mission "in the face of the worsening situation in the strait" and called for the EU to renew and strengthen it.
"We have a strong strategic interest: 40% of Italy's entire commercial maritime traffic and 60% of the goods we export to Asia pass through the Red Sea," Tajani said.
Saudi Arabia has faced a series of missile and drone attacks attributed to the Houthis in recent days amid escalating regional tensions, with the group now controlling access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
For several months, Italy has been urging other countries to contribute to the mission, he said.
"I will do so again next week in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly," the foreign minister said.
Tajani said European countries should either provide additional naval units or contribute to the costs of the mission.
"Aspides absolutely must continue and be strengthened," he said.
Tajani is due to discuss the mission at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the G7 foreign ministers' meeting and a meeting of the Rome Coalition for Food Security during the UN General Assembly in New York.
He said the coalition, launched by Italy and Croatia, would also discuss freedom and safety of navigation.
Tajani also said he would meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with whom he plans to sign an agreement on raw materials aimed at securing supplies.
He said the agreement would include the "Pax Silica" initiative on critical minerals such as rare earths.
On the conflict in Iran, Tajani said Italy did not support it and favored peace.
"A conflict we didn't share and where we support peace," he said.
He added that he would meet the Iranian foreign minister in New York despite Italy's critical stance toward Tehran, particularly over its nuclear program.
Tajani also backed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to make Canada an associated country of the EU, saying Canada is a strategic partner of Europe and a member of NATO and the G7.
He said his address to the UN General Assembly would focus on cybersecurity, hybrid threats and artificial intelligence.
