By Crispian Balmer
ROME, May 8 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday at a moment of unusual strain between her government and President Donald Trump's administration, driven largely by the war with Iran.
Rubio is in Italy for a two-day trip aimed at easing ties with Pope Leo after unprecedented attacks on the pontiff by Trump, while also addressing Washington's frustration over Italy's refusal to support the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Meloni
had been one of Trump's firmest supporters in Europe, cultivating close ties with him and presenting herself as a natural bridge between Washington and other EU states that had no natural political affinity with the Republican U.S. leader.
But that alignment has come under increasing strain in recent months, as the Iran war has forced her to balance loyalty to the United States against Italian public animosity to the war and the growing economic cost of the conflict.
Before heading to the prime minister's office, Rubio met Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said the talks had been positive.
"I am convinced that Europe needs America, Italy needs America, but the United States also needs Europe and Italy," Tajani told reporters.
Meloni and Rubio were expected to discuss the situation in the Gulf, as well as Russia's war on Ukraine, U.S. tariffs on European goods and the outlook for Cuba, which Washington is seeking to isolate both diplomatically and economically.
TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON POPE
The Italians will also be keen for a readout on Rubio's meetings at the Vatican. Trump's recent attacks on Pope Leo crossed a sensitive line in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy and prompted Meloni to call them "unacceptable."
Her criticism in turn drew a sharp rebuke from Trump, who said she lacked courage and had let Washington down. He subsequently threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Italy.
Meloni said on Monday she would not support such a move, but acknowledged that the decision "doesn't depend on me".
Italy last month refused to allow U.S. aircraft to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for combat operations linked to the Iran conflict. Italian officials have said Washington had not sought prior authorisation from Rome for the use of the site.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a close Meloni ally, later warned that the Iran war was putting U.S. global leadership at risk and said he feared the "madness" of nuclear escalation.
Pollsters say Meloni's ties to Trump could prove a potential liability with voters ahead of national elections due next year.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alex Richardson)
