Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday he was extremely concerned about the violent repression of protests in Iran.
Speaking after an event at the Carabinieri Officers School, Tajani said he had convened an operational meeting at the foreign ministry. The meeting aims to assess the situation and evaluate options to protect Italian nationals living in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
“We are deeply concerned about what is happening in Iran,” Tajani said. He added that Italy had clearly conveyed its position to Iran’s ambassador in Rome.
Tajani said the repression must not involve unprecedented violence and rejected the use of the death penalty against protesters.
Italy supports a moratorium on capital punishment in Europe and at the United Nations, he said, calling recent reports unacceptable.
Tajani said Italy hopes the Iranian people can express their views freely and live in a democratic system. He added that Rome would use all available diplomatic tools to urge Tehran to change its approach towards civilians.
“There is talk of thousands and thousands of deaths,” Tajani said. “This is unacceptable.”
