{"id":183632,"date":"2026-04-17T08:59:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T06:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2026\/04\/la-guerra-in-iran-ha-un-prezzo-alto-ora-xi-spinga-putin-ad-accettare-la-pace\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T11:40:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:40:00","slug":"la-guerra-in-iran-ha-un-prezzo-alto-ora-xi-spinga-putin-ad-accettare-la-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/approfondimenti\/2026\/04\/la-guerra-in-iran-ha-un-prezzo-alto-ora-xi-spinga-putin-ad-accettare-la-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00abThe war in Iran? It is exacting a heavy toll. Now Xi should encourage Putin to accept peace\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six hours ahead, replies to Il Giornale<\/em> from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, arrived shortly after midnight in Beijing.<\/p>\n

He has been on a visit to China since yesterday. Have you discussed Hormuz and Iran?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly. We focused in particular on Iran, Hormuz, Ukraine, and also Lebanon. In order to bring these conflicts to an end, it is first necessary to consolidate ceasefires that may lead to more stable and lasting conditions for peace. President Trump\u2019s announcement regarding Lebanon, providing for a ten-day ceasefire, represents a constructive step towards a new beginning in the Middle East. I had already discussed this during my visit to Beirut last Monday. A ceasefire in Lebanon could have a positive impact on negotiations towards a broader peace in Iran and in the Gulf region\u201d.<\/p>\n

After four years of war, do you believe China has an interest in helping to bring Russia to the negotiating table in Ukraine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI specifically urged Foreign Minister Wang Yi to support, with determination, initiatives aimed at restoring peace and stability in Ukraine as well. I hope that China can do more to encourage President Putin to engage seriously in negotiations\u201d.<\/p>\n

How would Italy participate in a possible European mission in the Strait of Hormuz? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBy involving the United Nations and by playing a role similar to that undertaken by Italy in the Aspides mission (in the Red Sea) and the Atalanta operation (counter-piracy), safeguarding the passage of our merchant vessels and protecting global trade, which for our economy in that area accounts for approximately 10 to 20 per cent of oil and gas flows. It is welcome that China has stated that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to free navigation and that no party may obstruct it by imposing transit fees\u201d.<\/p>\n

In your view, will the truce between the United States and Iran hold, or are we heading towards a worsening of the situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it will hold, in the interest of the safety of many innocent civilians and in order to support a global economic recovery. We are paying a very heavy price, with significant repercussions on energy supplies and on other sectors, such as fertilisers, which in turn have negative consequences for agriculture. We support the efforts of Pakistan and all mediators seeking an agreement, but it is essential that Iran definitively and credibly renounces its nuclear programme\u201d.<\/p>\n

President Trump often makes strong statements. Was a clash with Prime Minister Meloni foreseeable?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have stated from the outset that criticism directed at the Prime Minister and at Pope Leo XIV is unacceptable. Italy is, and intends to remain, a strategic partner of the United States. Italy and Europe need America, but the reverse is also true. Without unity within the West\u2014the cradle of democracy and freedom\u2014there is a real risk that autocratic systems will prevail\u201d.<\/p>\n

There is talk of a European NATO. Is this a chimera or a concrete prospect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have always supported the idea of a common European defence, in full coordination and complementarity with NATO, which remains the cornerstone of Western security. At present, reports regarding a possible withdrawal of United States forces from Europe do not appear realistic\u201d.<\/p>\n

Your mission also has an economic dimension. China is growing by 5% this year: are there new opportunities for Italian exports?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThese issues were addressed during the bilateral meeting with the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao. We co-chaired the Italy\u2013China Joint Economic Commission, attended by both Italian and Chinese companies. Following the launch of the Venice\u2013Shanghai route, a Venice\u2013Beijing connection will also be introduced in July. These direct connections will facilitate Italian exports to China. We have signed an action plan on e-commerce and developed a new strategy to increase Made in Italy exports, with particular emphasis on agri-food products, machinery, and jewellery. Furthermore, from next week, Serie A football matches will be broadcast on Chinese national television networks: an important window onto Italy through a sport that is widely followed in China\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Six hours ahead, replies to Il Giornale from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, arrived shortly after midnight in Beijing. He has been on a visit to China since yesterday. Have you discussed Hormuz and Iran? \u201cCertainly. We focused in particular on Iran, Hormuz, Ukraine, and also Lebanon. In order […]","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":183580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[45,3,6,28,360],"class_list":["post-183632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-approfondimenti","tag-asia-e-oceania","tag-diplomazia-economica","tag-mediterraneo-e-medio-oriente","tag-ministro","tag-ucraina"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183634,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183632\/revisions\/183634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}