Iran warns
“We warn all states not to become part of the criminal aggression against Iran and the Iranian people. These days will pass and Iran will come out of this ordeal with dignity and with its head held high. No country should allow itself to offer its resources directly or indirectly to the United States or the Zionist regime to help the aggressor,” Esmail Baghaei said, quoted by Iran International.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman explicitly mentioned Romania.
“As for some Eastern European countries, especially Romania, which you mentioned, yes, I have heard that there are interviews and statements on this subject. Without a doubt, such an action would mean participating in military aggression against Iran. This action is totally unacceptable from the point of view of international law and would entail the international responsibility of the Romanian state if it is carried out.”
“Moreover, from a political point of view, it would be a black stain in the history of relations between Iran and this country, since the Iranian and Romanian peoples have always been on friendly terms. There are no grounds or pretexts for this country to intervene in this military aggression and from our point of view it is categorically unacceptable,” Esmail Baghaei said.
He said that “certainly, both legally and politically, there will be an adequate and swift response from our side”.
Romania justifies itself
Romania’s Foreign Ministry on Monday reacted to statements by an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman calling for diplomatic de-escalation:
“The 2006 Bilateral Access Agreement provides the US with a guaranteed legal basis for the permanent use of military bases in Romania. Romania has deployed missile defenses against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic region for more than 10 years. The system is exclusively defensive in nature and is used only in self-defense, in accordance with the UN Charter. Romania is not a party to the conflict. Our priority is diplomatic efforts for de-escalation, which we have been advocating since the first day of the conflict. At the same time, we condemn Iran’s completely unjustified attacks on the Gulf States and thank them for protecting our citizens in their countries. We call on Iran to stop these attacks, which threaten human lives and degrade security and the global economy.” quoted adevarul.ro’s statement.
Context of events
Iran’s message followed Romania’s decision to grant the U.S. the right to use bases on its territory to refuel aircraft and deploy additional radars and satellite systems.
The first U.S. Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft has already arrived in Romania, at Otopeni Airport, after the state allowed the Americans to temporarily deploy equipment and troops to support operations in the Middle East against Iran.
Romania has authorized the Americans to temporarily deploy equipment and troops to support operations in the Middle East against Iran.
Technical details
As previously reported Logos Press, the straight line distance between Romania and Iran is about 2,092 kilometers, while the distance from Bucharest to Tehran is about 1,858 kilometers.
At the same time, US strategic bombers have an intercontinental range: the B-2 Spirit is capable of traveling more than 11,000 km without refueling, the B-52H Stratofortress has a combat radius of about 7,200 km (range of more than 16,000 km), and the B-1B Lancer has a range of more than 5,500 km.
Iran, in turn, has an extensive missile arsenal with a range of hundreds to 2,500 km. The basis is ballistic missiles such as Shahab-3 (1,300-2,000 km) and cruise missiles such as Sumar (up to 2,500 km), quite capable of both reaching the 57th Air Base “Captain-Aviator Constantine Cantacuzino”, also known as Mihail Cogalniceanu Base, located near Constanta (where American planes and their maintenance personnel will be stationed), and miss by several kilometers towards the Republic of Moldova.
“The base’s status as a strategic launch point for U.S. fighter jets gives the United States an irreplaceable geographical advantage, but automatically places Romania on the map of potential targets for an Iranian retaliatory strike, albeit difficult to reach,” Defense Romania portal notes.
The portal notes that the Mihail Cogalniceanu base has already functioned as an air bridge for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
