Italy 'asked IAEA chief to do everything to prevent nuclear Iran' - FM

Italy is strongly opposed to a nuclear Iran, the country’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he met with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Jerusalem on Monday.

“We’re very worried by the possibility that Iran could develop nuclear weapons,” Tajani said, adding that Italy was opposed to a nuclear Iran, which would endanger the entire world.

Tajani said he had personally spoken with International Atomic Energy Agency’s Secretary-General Rafael Gross and “I asked him to do everything that is possible to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Iran close to weapons-grade atomic production

He spoke as Israel, the United States and the European Union have grappled with the implications of reports that Iran has enriched uranium up to 84%, which is close to the 90% needed for weapons-grade atomic production.

Tajani arrived in Israel just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a trip to Italy, where he spoke with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni about the importance of taking a strong stand against the Islamic Republic.

Both Netanyahu and Cohen are pushing in particular for the European Union to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror entity. The EU, so far, has been loath to take that step, something that has to be done collectively.

When the two men issued joint statements on Monday night, Cohen spoke about the dangers of the IRGC.

Tajani condemned Iran’s violence against women and street protesters, who just want freedom, but did not mention the Guard Corps.

The Italian politician issued particular strong statements against antisemitism. All of his statements were made in Italian and translated into Hebrew.

“When I hear statements about wiping Israel off the map, I come to the conclusion that attacks against Israel are a form of new antisemitism, because Israel is the nation of the Jews,” Tajani said.

“We have to remember what happened in the past and the crimes against humanity that occur,” he said, as he appeared to reference the Holocaust. One should not just pay homage to the past, he said, but must also be vigilant against these modern forms of antisemitism.

Tajani also spoke of Italy’s concern regarding an influx of immigrants from Libya. He said he had spoken about this with Netanyahu earlier in the day and had found him supportive with respect to Italy’s concerns.

After their press statements, Cohen and Tajani signed a bilateral agreement for a strategic dialogue between their ministries on a wide range of topics, as well as a reciprocal drivers’ license agreement.