Italian Defence Minister Warns Against Using Hormuz as "Instrument of Pressure"

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has said the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global chokepoint and should not be used as an instrument of pressure, underlining growing international concern over disruptions to key maritime trade routes. Crosetto made the remarks ahead of his scheduled visit to India, where he is set to hold bilateral talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the next two days.

His visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely trip to Italy later next month, signalling continued momentum in strategic ties between the two countries. Crosetto is regarded as one of the senior-most ministers in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government and a co-founder of the Fratelli d’Italia party. His India visit is expected to focus on defence cooperation, maritime security and geopolitical developments.

Speaking on maritime concerns, Crosetto said the Strait of Hormuz is too important to global trade and energy flows to be treated as leverage in political conflicts. The narrow waterway is one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes, and any instability there can quickly affect fuel prices, shipping costs and wider economic conditions across multiple regions.

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India and Italy are also expected to deepen naval engagement, with both sides set to launch a maritime security dialogue in the near future. The proposed mechanism is likely to cover naval cooperation, sea-lane security, defence industry ties and coordination in maintaining open and stable maritime routes. Such cooperation reflects increasing convergence between New Delhi and Rome on Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean security matters.

Crosetto’s remarks also come amid broader global scrutiny of strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and China’s expanding maritime presence. For India and Italy, the renewed defence engagement marks a notable strengthening of relations after a difficult phase in past years. Analysts say the evolving partnership now increasingly rests on shared economic interests, secure trade corridors and common concerns over global stability.

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