Premier Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday that the United States and Israel had broken international law by attacking Iran, adding that the current crisis in the Middle East is among the most complex for decades and that her government has no blame for its consequences.

The premier, who has friendly relations with US President Donald Trump, reiterated that it was “an intervention that Italy is not part of and does not intend to take part in”.

“It is in this situation of crisis of the international system in which threats are becoming increasingly terrifying and unilateral interventions conducted outside the perimeter of international law are multiplying that we must also place the American and Israeli intervention against the Iranian regime,” Meloni told the Senate as she reported to parliament on the Iran war.

“I want to report to parliament and engage with the political parties on how to address the crisis in the Middle East, one of the most complex crises in recent decades that requires serious action.

“We do not have a government here that is complicit in other people’s decisions, much less one that is isolated in Europe, or culpable for the economic consequences the crisis may have on citizens and businesses.

“These are all things I’ve heard said in recent days, and they do not do justice to the commitment we have made in this delicate geopolitical area, which we have intensified in recent days”.

She called for a “constructive spirit of cohesion” in facing the crisis, stressing that her government was not trying to dodge parliamentary scrutiny, after opposition parties criticised her for not reporting to parliament on the Iran war before.

She has also come under fire for previously saying she could neither support nor condemn the attacks on Iran.

On Wednesday, however, Meloni did say that: “we cannot afford a regime of ayatollahs in possession of nuclear weapons, combined with a missile capability that could soon be able to directly strike Italy and Europe even more”.

She also spoke of a “plan” to evaluate the scope for “a return to diplomacy”, while adding that this was “impossible as long as Iran continues its attacks”.

Meloni reiterated that the United States has not made any requests to use its bases in Italy for attacks on Iran and that parliament would decide if any such requests were made.