endless spiral. Meloni-Netanyahu phone call –

An inevitable escalation, a spiral in which the entire Middle Eastern region is twisting and turning and beyond. Iran has rejected the calls for moderation made yesterday by France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the so-called Eu3), accusing them of not denouncing “Zionist crimes”. Those calls, said the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Tehran, Nasser Kanaani, quoted by IRNA, “lack political logic, 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 statement of the Eu3 impudently asks Iran not to respond to the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

For its part, Israel has sent the message to the United States and several European countries in recent days that any attack by Iran will be met with an Israeli attack on Iranian soil. This was reported today by the 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 the ongoing contacts she is having on the crisis in the Middle East, had a new telephone conversation today with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister reiterated her strong hope that an agreement can be found for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, in line with Resolution 2735 of the United Nations Security Council, during the next round of negotiations on August 15. President Meloni reiterated her firm support for the mediation led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. In recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of de-escalation at a regional level, including along the Israeli-Lebanese border where the United Nations interposition force, UNIFIL, is present, in which Italy plays a leading role.