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Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, dealing a blow to Gulf state-backed efforts to restore navigation to one of the world’s most important oil routes.The resolution proposed by Bahrain failed despite receiving 11 votes in favour, with Pakistan and Colombia abstaining. The vote came just hours before a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the strait or face a full-scale attack on its infrastructure.
“The failure to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the people of the world,” said Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, warning that inaction could undermine efforts to protect the world’s waterways.The proposal went through several revisions to avoid rejection. An earlier draft called for “all necessary means” to ensure safe passage, language that could authorize military action, but that was whittled down to “defensive means” and later stripped of any clear authority from the Security Council.The resolution’s final form simply encouraged countries that relied on the strait to coordinate defensive measures, including escorting commercial ships and thwarting attempts to disrupt shipping.It also called on Iran to immediately cease attacks on commercial ships and stop interfering with navigation in the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally pass.However, Russia and China opposed the move, accusing the United States and Israel of exacerbating the conflict. Their envoy believed that the priority should be an immediate cessation of hostilities, rather than focusing solely on measures for maritime security.The standoff comes as Iran’s blockade of the strait continues to roil global energy markets and raise concerns among Gulf states, many of which rely heavily on oil and gas exports from the strait. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, has been pushing for international intervention, calling the damage an existential threat.Trump has issued repeated warnings asking Iran to reopen the waterway, further intensifying tensions. He warned that failure to abide by the deal could lead to a massive military response, saying the country could be “taken overnight” if no deal is reached.
