Italy's Meloni Visits Doha to Bolster Energy Supplies Hit by War

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Doha Saturday as part of a two-day diplomatic charm offensive meant to shore up ties with the Gulf and bolster energy supplies hit by the war in Iran. Meloni, the first European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization leader to visit the region since the Iran war began in February, was set to meet with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, her office said. On Friday, the premier met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to a statement from her office, the two leaders discussed defensive aid and diplomatic efforts to mediate a solution to the conflict. They also discussed opening up the Strait of Hormuz and securing energy supplies to stem the impact of the war. The conflict and effective closure of the strait has triggered a surge in oil and gas prices, stoking fears of an economic crisis in Italy and the rest of the world. Meloni flew to Algeria last month in a bid to secure greater gas supplies from the North African nation. Meloni, who was the sole foreign leader to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting last year, will make the case that Italy's ties with the Gulf are central. She will also relay that investment from state-backed energy majors in the region, such as ENI SpA, will continue. Italy has sent aerial defenses to Gulf nations attacked by Iran in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes. In an interview with state broadcaster Rai on Friday, the premier said this was "above all" done to "protect the tens of thousands of Italians who are present there." "The trip is an act of solidarity toward friendly nations, but it clearly also has the aim of ensuring Italy's energy supplies that are necessary," she said. Still, Meloni struck a cautious tone on the US and has been reluctant to overtly condemn the war. When asked about a recent move to deny the US use of an Italian base, she said: "Europe does not have much to gain from a rift with the United States. However, our job is above all to defend our national interests, and when we disagree, we must say so, and this time, we do not agree." Three tankers broadcasting Omani ownership appear to have navigated the Strait of Hormuz by hugging their home country's coastline, indicating a different route to a northerly path through Iranian waters. Two oil supertankers, the Dhalkut and Habrut, and the liquefied natural gas vessel Sohar LNG headed east into the strait on Thursday, based on the satellite signals they were broadcasting. All three vessels are managed by Oman Ship Management Company, according to the Equasis marine database. The company couldn't be reached for comment. While the Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked since the start of the conflict, Iran has begun to negotiate transit for a handful of vessels tied to friendly nations, which have followed an agreed northerly route through its own waters. A container ship signaling French ownership recently used this path, in what appears to be the first known transit by a vessel linked to Western Europe since the Iran war all but shuttered the vital waterway. On Thursday, Iran's state-run IRNA cited Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi as saying that Tehran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Muscat's position on the comments was unclear. The effective closure of the crucial channel has upended global energy markets, sending prices surging and putting growing international pressure on US President Donald Trump. Iran is also trying to set up a tolling system, seeking payments of as much as $2 million per voyage through the waterway. The three ships transiting are particularly interesting because they are the largest type of oil tankers and the first LNG carrier to escape the gulf since the war began. Each of the three vessels was broadcasting that they were Omani when transiting. They all stopped sending automated position signals at about 9:30 a.m. London time, when they were approaching, or just rounding, the tip of Oman's Mussandam Peninsula that juts northward into the strait. The vessels reappeared on tracking monitors Friday, broadcasting positions off the coast of Muscat, Oman. Tracking ships entering and exiting Hormuz has also been complicated by the intense signal jamming in the area, as well as signal spoofing. The tankers are each hauling about 2 million barrels of crude, while the gas carrier appears to be empty, the tracking data show. One of the tankers loaded in Saudi Arabia in late February and was signaling its destination as Kyuakpyu in Myanmar, where a pipeline carries crude into western China. The other carrier is carrying crude from Abu Dhabi to an undisclosed destination. The route followed by the three ships lies to the south of the designated shipping lanes through the waterway, shown in orange in the map, and far from the more northerly path that runs between Iran's Larak and Qeshm islands taken by most ships leaving the Persian Gulf in recent days, shown in yellow. That northerly route has been associated with Iranian demands to approve and charge a fee for ships to transit the strait. But its shallower depth and tighter turns may make it unsuitable for the largest oil tankers.