Meloni tours Gulf states during Hormuz disruption

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spent two days in the Persian Gulf this week, meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz continue to squeeze energy supplies and shipping insurance.

According to Euronews, Meloni discussed restoring gas flows after Iranian attacks damaged infrastructure in Qatar, offered Italian technical support for repairs, and urged cooperation to keep navigation open through Hormuz. The talks also covered “joint investments” in security and defence for critical infrastructure, as well as cooperation on “the management of migratory phenomena” along Mediterranean routes. Meloni’s office framed the trip as part energy diplomacy and part crisis management, including thanks to the UAE for help with repatriations of Italian tourists and residents at the start of the conflict.

The visit underlines how quickly Europe’s Middle East posture is being driven by physical supply constraints rather than declarations. In recent days, European coverage has focused on the mechanics of trade under fire: war-risk premiums, insurance letters, and credit terms that determine whether ships move at all. With the Strait only “partly” closed, the bottleneck is not a naval blockade in the classic sense but the price and availability of coverage, plus the willingness of carriers to risk hulls, crews and cargo.

For Italy, the vulnerability is concrete. When a supplier’s export terminals or processing plants are hit, the immediate problem is not abstract geopolitics but whether contracted molecules arrive, at what price, and who pays for emergency rerouting. A leader who can show up in Doha and Abu Dhabi with engineers, repair offers, and defence cooperation is also trying to reassure domestic industry that Rome is doing more than issuing statements.

The migration element in the agenda points to a second channel of leverage. Gulf states have capital, fuel and influence with regional actors; European states have market access, technology and a strong interest in reducing irregular arrivals across the central Mediterranean. Packaging energy, security and migration into the same set of meetings creates room for trade-offs that would be harder to sell as standalone concessions.

Meloni’s trip was criticised at home by Italy’s Democratic Party and the Green Left Alliance, Euronews reports, while former prime minister Matteo Renzi called it “politically intelligent” but warned that “difficult months lie ahead.”

Meloni was the first EU, G20 and NATO leader to visit the region since the war began on 28 February, and her itinerary was kept secret until the last minute for security reasons.

In the Gulf, the message was about “freedom of navigation” and infrastructure repairs; in Europe, the price signal is already arriving in the form of tighter gas supply and higher risk premiums.