France and Italy open direct talks with Iran on Hormuz safe passage — bypassing US-Israel campaign

France and Italy have opened separate diplomatic channels with Tehran seeking a bilateral arrangement to guarantee safe passage for their flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported Saturday, citing three people familiar with the discussions. European countries are exploring diplomatic solutions as they seek to ensure continued export of oil and gas from the Middle East and prevent further disruption to global energy supplies. The initiative is significant on multiple levels. First, it represents Europe acting independently of the United States on a core military-diplomatic question of the war — seeking bilateral arrangement with Iran rather than joining the US posture of pressuring Iran militarily to reopen Hormuz. Second, it implies that France and Italy believe Iran is capable of and willing to offer selective passage guarantees — potentially as leverage in the broader conflict. France has already suffered its first combat casualty in the war (CWO Arnaud Frion, killed in Erbil) and has been among the most vocal European states calling for de-escalation. Italy has significant energy dependence on Gulf LNG supplies. Switzerland has refused US military overflight requests. The broader picture is of continental Europe increasingly distancing itself from the US-Israeli campaign and seeking its own off-ramps. Iran has every incentive to accept bilateral European passage arrangements: it would fragment Western unity, generate revenue from European energy trade, and demonstrate that Iran can offer targeted concessions without yielding to US military pressure. The development adds diplomatic complexity to the coercive architecture Trump built around the Kharg Island strike.