NEW YORK — Russia and China have vetoed a watered-down United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical sea passage now at the heart of the escalating war between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition, according to Arab News.
The vote, held late Tuesday, ended with 11 members in favor, two against, and two abstentions. It came just hours before a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump demanding that Iran reopen the strait by 8 p.m. Eastern time, or face a wave of strikes against its power plants and bridges.
Nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply typically flows through the narrow waterway, but Iran’s blockade, imposed amid the war now entering its fifth week, has sent global energy prices soaring.
Even if the resolution had passed, diplomats said it was so diluted by last-minute compromises that it would likely have changed little on the ground. Originally introduced by Bahrain, the text once contained robust language authorizing nations to use “all necessary means”, a UN phrase that can justify military action to secure open navigation.
But after objections from Russia, China, and France, the draft was repeatedly softened to avoid a veto. References to force were stripped away, and its geographic scope was narrowed to only the Strait of Hormuz. By Tuesday, the final version simply “encouraged” states dependent on maritime trade to coordinate defensive escorts for cargo ships and to help deter obstructions in the strait.
It also demanded that Iran stop attacking commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure assaults that have reportedly spread across more than ten countries since late February, including airports, hotels, and oil installations in Gulf states aligned with Washington.
Bahrain, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, has been one of the most vocal supporters of UN action. The Gulf nation, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, warned that Iran’s blockade poses an existential threat to the region’s stability and energy security.
President Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly escalated his rhetoric. On Monday, he praised U.S. forces for rescuing two airmen downed over Iran and again demanded that Tehran reopen the strait. He warned that if Iran refused to comply, “the entire country can be taken out in one night.” On Tuesday he went further, declaring that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if no agreement was reached.
At the UN, Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia and China’s Fu Cong defended their vetoes, accusing Washington and Israel of provoking the conflict and insisting that halting hostilities must come before any new measures are discussed.
Earlier, on March 11, the Council had adopted a less contentious resolution also proposed by Bahrain, condemning Iran’s “egregious attacks” in the strait. That text passed with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from Russia and China, the last brief moment of consensus before the conflict deepened.
