Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Tuesday, blocking a US-backed push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
The draft resolution, prepared by Bahrain and backed by Gulf Arab states and Washington, received 11 votes in favor. China and Russia voted against, while Colombia and Pakistan abstained. Because both Moscow and Beijing are permanent members of the Security Council, their vetoes were enough to defeat the measure.
Trump deadline nears
The vote came as US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the strait drew near. Trump fueled fears of dramatic escalation with a Truth Social post warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” He added that, now that there had been “Complete and Total Regime Change,” perhaps “something revolutionarily wonderful can happen,” calling the moment one of the most important in modern history. Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “deep concern” over recent threats involving civilian populations, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. Without mentioning Trump by name, Dujarric said Guterres was alarmed by remarks “suggesting that entire civilian populations or civilizations may be made to bear the consequences of political and military decisions.”
“There is no military objective that justifies the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure” or “the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations,” Dujarric said, adding that Guterres believes war can end “when leaders choose dialogue over destruction” – a choice that “still exists.”
Resolution watered down
The Bahrain-sponsored text had already been significantly diluted before reaching a vote. Gulf states had originally sought language that would have explicitly authorized force to protect commercial shipping in the strait. But objections from veto-wielding members, including France, Russia and China, forced repeated revisions and delays.
In its final version, the draft no longer gave a direct green light for military action. Instead, it sought to strongly encourage states using the commercial maritime routes of the Strait of Hormuz - which lies between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates - to “coordinate efforts” of a defensive nature to ensure the safety and security of navigation, including the use of escorts for merchant and commercial vessels.
The text also demanded that Iran immediately cease all attacks on shipping and halt any attempt to impede transit passage or freedom of navigation in the strait. It further called for an end to attacks on civilian water, oil and gas infrastructure.
Gulf States Express Regret
The resolution was submitted by Bahrain alongside Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Speaking after the vote, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani expressed regret on behalf of the Gulf states and said the Security Council had failed to act decisively in the face of an illegal threat to international trade.
“The Council failed to shoulder its responsibility in relation to an illegal conduct that requires decisive action with no delay,” he said.
“Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the peoples of the world, the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
Strait at center of global risk
Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the strait since the US and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, sending shockwaves through energy and shipping markets. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, making any prolonged disruption a major threat to the global economy.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz said Washington stood with Bahrain and the Gulf states “at this moment of reckoning” and made clear that the council’s failure would not prevent the US from acting.
He told the council that 47 years ago the Iranian regime’s first act was to take dozens of Americans hostage.
“Now it’s taking the Strait of Hormuz hostage, and with it, attempting to take the world’s economy hostage. Well, colleagues, that may be its last act. We’ll see,” he said.
Waltz stressed that “the Strait of Hormuz is too vital to the world to be used as hostage, to be choked, to be weaponized by any one State.”
After the vote, he added: “Today’s result does not restrict the United States to continue to act in its own self defense and in the collective defense of our allies and partners.”
Russia, China and Iran reject draft
Explaining Russia’s veto, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the resolution portrayed Iran’s actions as the sole source of instability while ignoring what he described as illegal US and Israeli attacks.
“Nearly each paragraph” of the text, he said, remained “unbalanced, inaccurate and confrontational.”
China’s Ambassador Fu Cong said the draft “failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict in a comprehensive and balanced manner.” He said Beijing hoped peace and stability would be restored and pledged to work toward addressing the crisis by tackling its underlying causes.
Iran’s Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani denounced the proposal as one-sided and illegitimate.
The draft sought, he said, “to punish the victim for defending its sovereignty and vital national interests in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while providing political and legal cover for further unlawful acts by the aggressors.”
He also warned that, had it passed, the text could have opened the way to “dangerously broad and abusive interpretation” justifying further use of force in violation of the UN Charter.
Alternative text expected
Russia and China are now expected to push an alternative text. According to the draft seen by AFP, their version calls for respect for navigational freedom without explicitly naming the Strait of Hormuz and urges “all parties,” rather than Iran alone, to cease attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The failed vote also highlighted once again the power structure of the Security Council. Fifteen countries sit on the body, but its five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – can veto any resolution or decision. The other 10 members are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.
Pakistan Urges More Time
As Trump’s deadline approached, Pakistan, acting as a mediator, appealed for a two-week extension to “allow diplomacy to run its course.” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said efforts to secure a peaceful settlement in the Middle East were gaining momentum and could soon yield substantive results. He also urged Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.