When it come to international security, the Unites States ''has no better nor steadfast friend than Italy,'' the US ambassador to Italy, Ronald Spogli, said on Friday.
''With the arrival of a new government in Italy and a new president set to enter the White House in January, this is an excellent time to weigh the results of US-Italian cooperation in the area of international security,'' he added.
Turning his attention to Iran, the ambassador said ''we want to continue to work with our Italian counterparts on the Iran dossier and we appreciate the firm position which the new Italian government has adopted'' on Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
''We remain convinced that isolation and a common international position will be effective in changing the behavior of the Iranian regime,'' Spogli said.
The ambassador went on to accuse Iran of being the world's biggest supporter of Islamic extremism and international terrorism.
Although it remained sceptical, Spogli said, the US ''will continue to use diplomacy'' to try and overcome Iran's insistence on developing a uranium enrichment program ''but it will also keep all other options on the table''.
