Mattarella to host high-level talks to discuss the war in Iran and conflict in Middle East.Italian president Sergio Mattarella has convened Italy's Supreme Council of Defence to discuss the war in Iran and the conflict in the Middle East at the Quirinale Palace in Rome on Friday.The agenda for the talks will also include "analysis of the international situation and the effects of the ongoing crisis", the Quirinale said in a statement on Monday. The move comes as the conflict in the Middle East enters a second week after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, amid an escalating crisis across the region. In a television interview on Sunday, Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni blamed the breakdown of international law for the outbreak of the war in Iran, and refused to condemn or support the attacks by the US and Israel. Last week Meloni pledged to send air-defence aid to ⁠Gulf countries in the face of Iranian air strikes but ruled out any direct involvement by Italy in the war. Supreme Council of Defence Established in 1950, Italy's Consiglio supremo di difesa deals with matters related to the country's security. It is provided for by the constitution and is the forum where the main political and technical issues concerning national defence are examined. The council is chaired by the head of state. Its members include the prime minister and several key government ministers: foreign affairs, interior, economy, defence, and enterprise. The chief of the defence staff is also among its members. The Supreme Council of Defence typically meets twice a year. Since becoming Italy's president in 2015, Mattarella has chaired the council around 20 times, Open reports. Over the past year, he has convened the council three times: in November to discuss the 12th aid package for Ukraine and a national security strategy; in May to discuss European rearmament and Italy's participation in NATO and EU initiatives; and last March to discuss space security and common European defence. Photo Ministero della Difesa

Italian president Sergio Mattarella has convened Italy's Supreme Council of Defence to discuss the war in Iran and the conflict in the Middle East at the Quirinale Palace in Rome on Friday. The agenda for the talks will also include "analysis of the international situation and the effects of the ongoing crisis", the Quirinale said in  on Monday. The move comes as the  enters a second week after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, amid an escalating crisis across the region. In a television interview on Sunday, Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni blamed the breakdown of international law for the outbreak of the war in Iran, and refused to condemn or support the attacks by the US and Israel. Last week Meloni pledged to send air-defence aid to ⁠Gulf countries in the face of Iranian air strikes but ruled out any direct involvement by Italy in the war. Established in 1950, Italy's Consiglio supremo di difesa deals with matters related to the country's security. It is provided for by the constitution and is the forum where the main political and technical issues concerning national defence are examined. The council is chaired by the head of state. Its members include the prime minister and several key government ministers: foreign affairs, interior, economy, defence, and enterprise. The chief of the defence staff is also among its members. The Supreme Council of Defence typically meets twice a year. Since becoming Italy's president in 2015, Mattarella has chaired the council around 20 times, Open reports. Over the past year, he has convened the council three times: in November to discuss the 12th aid package for Ukraine and a national security strategy; in May to discuss European rearmament and Italy's participation in NATO and EU initiatives; and last March to discuss space security and common European defence. Photo Ministero della Difesa