Middle East Conflict: Russia, China Veto UN Resolution On Reopening Strait Of Hormuz As Tensions Escalate

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russia and China on Tuesday (local time) vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The draft had already been scaled back from an earlier proposal by Gulf states that sought authorisation to use force to secure the vital shipping route, Bloomberg reported.

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The draft resolution was put forward by Bahrain and backed by the United States. It received 11 votes in favour, with two opposed and two abstentions. Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, said Gulf states“regret” the rejection of the measure.

The vote came after days of negotiations and pressure from several Gulf countries to restore free passage in the strait, which has been essentially shut since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February.

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The document would have encouraged nations to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances,” to ensure security of navigation through the strait.

AP reported that after China, France, and Russia, the three veto-wielding members of the 15-member UNSC, voiced opposition to authorising the use of force, the resolution was revised to remove all references to offensive action. It instead authorised only“all defensive means necessary.” A vote had been expected on Saturday.

The UN resolution vetoed today "strongly encourages states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate with the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz."

The draft said this should include escorting merchant and commercial vessels and deterring attempts to close, obstruct, or interfere with international navigation through the Strait. It also demanded that Tehran immediately cease all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels, stop impeding their freedom of navigation via the Strait of Hormuz, and halt attacks on civilian infrastructure.

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Russia, which is allied with Iran, had previously expressed its disapproval with the resolution. On 3 April, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it would hinder "very fragile chances for negotiations.”

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia and China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong have accused the US and Israel of starting the war in Tehran and sparking an expanding global crisis. They told the Security Council last week that the most urgent priority now is to end military operations immediately.

Trump demands reopening of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that the strait be reopened as part of talks to end the conflict, which is now in its sixth week. He set a deadline to Tehran of Tuesday, 8 PM ET (5:30 AM IST on Wednesday). As the deadline nears its end, tensions have been escalating with both sides issuing threats.

Since 5 April, Trump has doubled down its warning on the Islamic Republic. On Monday, during his press conference, he noted that the entire country of the Islamic Republic can be taken out in one night. Earlier today, lashing out at Tehran, he reiterated that the "whole civilisation will die tonight" if Tehran does not meet his deadline to agree to a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

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