Image used for representative purposes
Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, dealing a blow to Gulf-backed efforts to restore navigation through one of the world’s most critical oil routes.The resolution, introduced by Bahrain, failed despite securing 11 votes in favour, with Pakistan and Colombia abstaining. The vote came just hours before a deadline set by US president Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the strait or face sweeping attacks on its infrastructure.“Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the people of the world,” Bahrain’s foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said, warning that inaction risked undermining efforts to safeguard global waterways.The proposal had undergone multiple revisions in an attempt to avoid a veto. An earlier draft had called for “all necessary means” to ensure safe passage, language that could have authorised military action, but this was scaled back to “defensive means” and later stripped of any explicit Security Council mandate.In its final form, the resolution merely encouraged countries reliant on the strait to coordinate defensive measures, including escorting commercial vessels and deterring attempts to disrupt shipping. It also called on Iran to immediately halt attacks on merchant vessels and cease interference with navigation through the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes.However, Russia and China opposed the move, blaming the United States and Israel for escalating the conflict. Their envoys argued that the priority should be an immediate cessation of hostilities rather than measures focused solely on maritime security.The standoff comes as Iran’s blockade of the strait continues to rattle global energy markets and raise concerns among Gulf nations, many of which rely heavily on the route for oil and gas exports. Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, has been pushing for international intervention, calling the disruption an existential threat.Tensions have further intensified with repeated warnings from Trump, who has demanded that Iran reopen the waterway. He warned that failure to comply could lead to a large-scale military response, saying the country could be “taken out in one night” if a deal is not reached.
