Romania will host US refuelling aircraft, surveillance equipment and satellite communications gear in support of operations against Tehran, President Nicusor Dan said on Wednesday, stressing the deployment was “defensive” and carried no munitions.
Dan convened the EU and NATO member state’s top defence council, which approved the American request, before parliament backed the measure — despite opposition from far-right lawmakers who criticised the plan while describing themselves as supporters of US President Donald Trump.
“We are talking about refuelling planes, some monitoring equipment and some satellite communications equipment in correlation with the Deveselu shield,” Dan said, referring to the US-developed Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence system deployed in the town of Deveselu a decade ago to counter potential threats to NATO allies. The system was updated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Romania is among several European countries providing logistical or military support in response to the conflict. Others, including France, Greece and Italy, have sent warships to Cyprus after Iranian-made drones struck a British base on the island. Most senior EU officials have condemned Iranian strikes in the region and called for a diplomatic solution.
Around 1,000 US troops remain in Romania following a withdrawal of a similar number from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base last year, as Washington shifted its focus to its own borders and the Indo-Pacific region. The permanent allied presence in Romania stands at around 3,500 NATO troops, including US soldiers.
Romania shares a 650-kilometre land border with Ukraine, over which Russian drones have flown towards Ukrainian port infrastructure, while Black Sea mines from that conflict continue to affect key trade and energy routes.
(Reuters)
