Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi gestures during the end-of-year news conference in Rome, Italy, December 29, 2015. REUTERS/Remo Casilli ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Monday that, as a citizen and leader of a center-left party, he hopes that Hillary Clinton becomes the next president of the United States.

During a news conference with foreign media to mark his second year in office, Renzi was asked if he could work with Republican candidate Donald Trump should he win this year's election.

"As Italian prime minister, it's obvious that I would work well with whoever is president of the United States," Renzi said. "As an Italian citizen and leader of the Democratic Party, and in total respect for American democracy, I'm rooting for Hillary Clinton."

Renzi also said he would be traveling to Tehran in April, his first trip to Iran, which until recently was the focus of Western sanctions.

(Reporting by Gavin Jones, writing by Steve Scherer; editing by Agnieszka Flak)