March 2, 2026 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 02.03.2026, 20:00

MIDDLE EAST – The situation of Romanian citizens stranded in the area bordering Iran, due to the conflict in the region, was discussed on Monday in Bucharest by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and some cabinet ministers. The Romanian authorities have decided that they will focus their efforts on bringing Romanians in the risk areas safely back to the country. On Monday, it was announced that a first group of 300 Romanians, evacuated from Israel via Egypt, would be brought back to the country, with two TAROM aircraft. Other flights will be organized in the coming period, for the repatriation of pilgrims and other Romanian citizens who requested consular support. Preparations are also being made to bring home Romanians in other Middle Eastern states affected by the war. Children and medical cases will be given priority. Romania, along with other EU member states, will also activate the European Civil Mechanism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest has no information regarding Romanian citizens being injured in the context of the events in the Middle East, said the head of diplomacy, Oana Ţoiu, on Monday. She announced the launch of a special WhatsApp channel dedicated to those in the Middle East and said that the situation in the region is escalating, and the ministries are coordinating to provide Romanians with the necessary assistance.

IRAN – The United States continues to conduct large-scale military operations in Iran, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. A nuclear-armed Iran would be unacceptable to the US, the White House leader also said. On Monday, Iran continued its attacks on several Arab states that host US military bases. One of the largest refineries in the Middle East, Ras Tanura, in Saudi Arabia, where 550,000 barrels per day are processed, was temporarily closed following an Iranian drone attack. According to the Saudi state oil company, Aramco, there were no casualties or material damage. Also on Monday, Tehran’s forces launched drones and missiles towards the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The latter also announced that several US military aircraft crashed on its territory, but the pilots managed to eject. Israel has said the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, is being hunted after the group launched an attack to avenge the death of Ayatollah Khamenei. Tehran has said a new supreme leader will be named soon. The most widely circulated name is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of the Transitional Council that has been running the country since Sunday.

JUSTICE – Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu announced on Monday that he has proposed Cristina Chiriac for the position of prosecutor general, Viorel Cerbu as head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and Codrin Miron as head of the Department for Combating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). 19 candidates participated in the selection held between January 8th and March 2nd for the positions of Prosecutor General, Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate and DIICOT, respectively, along with their deputies.

MOTION – Senators in Bucharest rejected, on Monday, the simple motion of the nationalist and populist opposition against the UDMR Minister of Culture, Andras Istvan Demeter. Entitled “The Guild wants you out, Minister. You are an insult to Romanian culture”, the AUR motion was motivated by what they call “the lack of responsibility of a minister who, following multiple slip-ups, including insults to artists, inappropriate measures and clear situations of conflict of interest, refused to submit his resignation, although he was asked to do so on numerous occasions (…) “. Attending the debate on the motion, Demeter Andras admitted that he had made ‘inevitable’ mistakes, but claimed that he had observed the rules, which he defined as ‘absolutely necessary’. A simple motion adopted in Parliament does not entail the resignation of the minister concerned.

CAMPAIGN – Radio Romania on Monday launched the national awareness campaign “Stay Safe on the Net”, a journalistic and educational initiative dedicated to the safety of minors in cyberspace, and also to parents and teachers. The project will bring into debate the real risks of the internet, from tragic viral challenges to harassment and digital addiction, aiming to correctly inform adolescents about the dangers they are exposed to on social networks. The campaign will take be conducted on all Radio Romania frequencies and online, with the Radio Romania studios having as guests paediatric psychologists and psychiatrists, cybercrime specialists from the Romanian Police, artificial intelligence experts and content creators.

BUDGET – The ruling coalition in Bucharest decided that, on Wednesday, the closing meeting on the topic of the 2026 national budget will be held in full format, in order to finalize all chapters and adopt the form agreed at the coalition level. According to a briefing from the meeting, the governing coalition, which met on Monday in a working meeting, analyzed the main components of the national budget for 2026. The discussions focused on the budget structure, financing priorities and the general framework needed to ensure economic stability and the efficient functioning of state institutions. Observations and proposals were presented regarding budget allocations for essential areas, with the common goal of building a sustainable, realistic budget oriented towards the major needs of citizens and the economy. (EE)