Rubio urges Europe to act on Iran, seeks reset in Rome and Vatican

Marco Rubio used a two-track trip to Rome and Vatican City to push allies on Iran while trying to steady relations with Italy and the Holy See after weeks of strain over the war and Washington’s posture toward Europe.

The State Department said on May 4 that Rubio would travel to Rome from May 6 to 8 to advance bilateral relations with Italy and the Vatican, with talks centered on shared security interests and strategic alignment. By May 7, Rubio was at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, and the next day he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Rome.

Rubio’s public message was aimed squarely at European capitals. He urged allies to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action against Iran, saying Tehran’s attempt to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz was unacceptable and a threat to global security. He said the United States had thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the strait and was pursuing diplomacy, including a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution intended to preserve freedom of navigation. Rubio also said Washington was waiting for Iran’s response on Friday to ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Italy, however, has its own constraints. Last month, Rome refused to allow U.S. aircraft to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for combat operations linked to the Iran conflict, and Italian officials said Washington had not sought prior authorization for the site. That hesitation underscored the gap between Rubio’s push for coordinated pressure and the limits on how far European governments are willing to go when military action is involved.

Meloni said the talks covered the Middle East, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine, China, Libya and Lebanon. Tajani cast the relationship in broader strategic terms, saying, “Europe needs America, Italy needs America, but the United States also needs Europe and Italy.” The comments reflected an effort to keep transatlantic ties intact even as the war in Iran deepened divisions across the Atlantic.

Rubio’s Vatican stop carried its own diplomatic weight after President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV and broader friction with Meloni. The Vatican said Rubio and the pope renewed their shared commitment to good bilateral relations and discussed countries marked by war, religious freedom and humanitarian crises. For Washington, repairing ties with Rome and the Holy See was not just a gesture of goodwill. It was part of a larger effort to keep sanctions pressure, diplomacy and regional stability moving in the same direction.