OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:44 PM – Thursday, July 10, 2025
Incoming reports have announced that Romania has signed a deal to acquire the Iron Dome missile defense system in order to protect NATO countries, specifically its eastern front, from short-range missiles.
According to a report from Newsweek, Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu said that the deal would be signed within the year “to defend our cities.”
Roger Hilton, a defense research fellow at the Slovakia-based think tank GLOBSEC, told the outlet that since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the country has experienced numerous airspace incursions, highlighting the need for a stronger defense system.
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Last year, it was also reported that debris from Russian drones and missiles had landed in Romania, although there was “no indication that the violations were premeditated.”
Mosteanu expressed that seeing the Iron Dome in operation during Iran’s missile attacks on Tel Aviv, Israel, had demonstrated its efficiency.
“It will protect us, too, whether it’s airports, military bases, or — God forbid — we need to defend our cities,” he said.
Hilton told the outlet that utilizing the Iron Dome in a NATO country is a reasonable response to Russia’s growing manufacturing of short-range drones and missiles, while noting that Moscow will likely oppose the defense upgrade.
“As these systems come online, it will surely be met with derision and false claims of escalation from the Kremlin,” Hilton said.
This comes as President Donald Trump has asked NATO partners to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP, up from 2% currently. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has recommended broadening the scope of military spending to help countries meet the new level.
The new proposal would strive for a 3.5% military spending target, with an additional 1.5% allocated to “newer, unconventional spending.” The latter could include enhancements to infrastructure, such as train lines, as well as developments in cybersecurity and communications.
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