A structural analysis carried out on the island of Pantelleria indicates that all the structures affecting the volcanic products (faults, joints, dyke swarm) are kinematically compatible with a roughly E-W oriented extension. This direction is consistent with the geodetic data available for the Strait of Sicily suggesting that E-W extension is the dominant mode of deformation of the entire area. Relations between the structural features of the island and the tectonic trend of the Straits of Sicily suggest, moreover, that the island of Pantelleria develops within the NW-SE trending dextral wrench zone that characterize this portion of the Pelagian Block.