US Secretary of State Meets Italian Prime Minister

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday as relations between the United States and a key European ally face unusual strain over the war with Iran and President Trump's public criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

The talks came one day after the secretary of state held discussions at the Vatican with the pope and senior church officials. Those meetings sought to calm tensions that have grown since Trump condemned the pontiff for opposing the Iran conflict. The secretary of state described the Vatican talks as constructive and noted the church plays a significant role worldwide.

Meloni, once seen as the U.S. president's closest ideological partner in Europe, has publicly called Trump's attacks on the pope unacceptable. That stance prompted a sharp response from Trump, who questioned her reliability and suggested he might withdraw American troops from Italy.

The Italian leader later said she would not support such a move though the decision does not rest with her alone.

Italy refused last month to allow U.S. aircraft to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for combat operations linked to the Iran war. Officials said Washington had not sought prior authorization from Rome for the use of the site. The defense minister, a close ally of the prime minister, warned that the conflict was putting U.S. global leadership at risk and voiced fears of nuclear escalation.

Italian public opinion has turned against deeper involvement in the Iran conflict. Pollsters say the prime minister's past closeness to Trump could become a liability ahead of national elections scheduled for next year. The Vatican dispute carries extra sensitivity in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy where criticism of the pope by foreign leaders can quickly become politically toxic.

Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump's second inauguration in January 2025 and visited him at Mar-a-Lago. Trump once publicly praised her as an incredible leader during a 2025 Middle East summit in Egypt. That partnership began to fray after Meloni criticized Trump's remarks about the pope.

Trump reportedly told aides she was much different than he thought. Italian media described the dispute as a remarkable deterioration between two leaders once viewed as natural political allies. Economic frictions linger in the background. Trump reduced tariffs on some Italian exports including pasta earlier this year, calling it a New Year's gift.

Yet concerns persist in Rome and Brussels over repeated threats of broader tariffs on European goods.

The secretary of state's two-day trip is widely viewed as an effort to prevent the political rift from deepening further. Discussions with the prime minister and other officials covered Middle East security, NATO coordination, migration, U.S. tariffs on European goods and policy toward Cuba.

The White House and Italian embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached for comment. During the Rome visit the secretary of state was also presented with documents detailing his Italian family heritage in a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry.

The gift came from the foreign minister, the president of Piedmont region and the mayor of Casale Monferrato. The meeting with Meloni occurred at a moment when the Iran war has forced the Italian government to balance loyalty to Washington against domestic opposition to the conflict and its growing economic costs.

The Vatican readout from the secretary of state's earlier talks formed a key part of Friday's discussions.