Rhino: The Italian government said in a statement on Thursday that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian in a phone call to avoid escalation in the Middle East.

During the phone call, Meloni “stressed the need to prevent the expansion of the conflict in Gaza, including a reference to Lebanon, and urged the Iranian president to avoid further escalation and reopen the way for dialogue,” the Italian prime minister’s office said.