March 22, 2026

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 22.03.2026, 14:05

STRAIT – US President Donald Trump has threatened that the US will strike Iranian power plants if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. The Iranian armed forces have responded that if fuel and energy facilities in Iran are hit, they will attack energy infrastructure linked to the US throughout the region. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is completely blocked by the Iranians, following the American-Israeli offensive launched on February 28. Before the conflict that has since spread to the Middle East, about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas were transported along this route. Nearly 20 countries, including Romania, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan, condemned – in a joint statement – the critical situation in the Strait of Hormuz and called on Iran to de-escalate the conflict, declaring themselves ready to contribute to the efforts necessary to reopen the strait, blocked by Iran since the beginning of the war. Romanian President Nicuşor Dan says, in a post on Facebook, that Bucharest’s rallying to this effort comes against the backdrop of the serious implications that the closure of the strait has on global energy markets, as well as on the world economy. The effects are also felt in Romania, especially in terms of fuel prices. Iran has retaliated against the American and Israeli air campaign, attacking numerous countries in the region, also targeting energy infrastructure.

FUEL – The situation of the fuel market, in the context of the conflict in the Middle East, was analyzed, at the end of the week, in Bucharest, by the Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan with the ministers of finance and energy, with representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Fiscal Authority, the Competition Council and the National Agency for Public Procurement. The technical teams also worked over the weekend, and a new meeting is scheduled for the beginning of next week to finalize the solutions. The Prime Minister said that an arbitrary price cap can lead to shortages, and a possible decrease in excise duties must guarantee a reduction in prices, but also be bearable by the 2026 budget in the context of efforts to reduce the deficit. Ilie Bolojan emphasizes that he refuses to sell populist solutions, which would create the appearance of aid, but which would in fact generate new imbalances and costs. In Romania, fuel prices have set a new record, recording the highest increase since the beginning of the war. The price of standard gasoline has exceeded the 9 lei threshold in many gas stations, while a liter of standard diesel is approaching the psychological threshold of 10 lei (about 2 euros).
 

ELECTIONS – Slovenia is holding parliamentary elections today. Opinion polls show a very close race between Prime Minister Robert Golob’s liberal Movement for Freedom (GS), in power since 2022 at the head of a coalition with the Social Democrats, and the Left, the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), led by former Prime Minister Janez Jansa. The SDS has long been the favorite of the electorate, but the GS has returned to parity with the opposition after popular measures such as increasing pensions. The pro-European government led by Golob (57) was among the few in the EU to call Israel’s war in Gaza a ‘genocide’. According to analysts, the return to power of Jansa, who also led the Ljubljana government in 2004-2008, 2012-2013 and 2020-2022, could bring Slovenia into the group of Eurosceptic countries, alongside Hungary and Slovakia.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian (36 WTA) is today playing against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (11 WTA), in the third round of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Miami (Florida). Previously, Jaquelin defeated American Peyton Stearns (47 WTA) in two sets. In turn, Sorana Cîrstea (35 WTA), also qualified for the round of 16, after defeating Belgian Elise Mertens (19 WTA), with 6-3, 6-2. Sorana won all four direct matches with Mertens played in recent years. Her next opponent will be an American, Coco Gauff (4 WTA). Also in Miami, in a second round match, another Romanian, Gabriela Ruse (73 WTA), was defeated by American Madison Keys (18 WTA), 6-3, 6-0. (EE)