UN to vote on Hormuz resolution as China opposes authorisation of force

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The UN Security Council is to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on April 3, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorizing any use of force.

Two diplomats said the meeting of the Council’s 15 members and the vote were set for the morning of April 4, rather than on April 3 as earlier planned. April 3 is a UN holiday.

Oil prices have surged since the US and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, unleashing a conflict that has run for more than a month and effectively closed the key shipping artery.

Diplomats said Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalised a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorise “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.

Earlier on April 2, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Rashid Al Zayani told the council that a vote would be held on April 3, “God willing”, adding that Bahrain looked forward to a “unified position from this esteemed council”.

Bahrain, backed in its efforts to secure a resolution by other Gulf Arab states and Washington, had previously dropped an explicit reference to binding enforcement in a bid to overcome objections from other nations, particularly Russia and China.

The draft seen by Reuters authorises the measures “for a period of at least six months... and until such time as the council decides otherwise”.

However, in remarks to the Security Council on the morning of April 2, China’s UN envoy Fu Cong opposed authorising force.

Such a move would be “legitimising the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences”, he added.

A fourth draft of the resolution was put under a so-called silence procedure for approval until noon on April 2 (midnight on April 3, Singapore time), but a Western diplomatic source said the silence had been broken, by China, France and Russia.

Diplomats said a text had subsequently been finalised, or “put in blue”, which means a vote can take place.

A Security Council resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from the five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.

Mr Al Zayani said Iran’s “unlawful and unjustified attempt” to control international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz threatened global interests and required a “decisive response”.

The secretary-general of the 22-member League of Arab States, Mr Ahmed Aboul Gheit, told the Security Council it backed Bahrain’s efforts to secure a resolution.

On April 2, Britain hosted a meeting with more than 40 countries on efforts to reopen and ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and also expressed support for Bahrain’s move to secure a resolution on the issue.

On April 1, US President Donald Trump vowed to continue attacks, but did not lay out a plan to re-open the strait.

That drove oil prices even higher, by fuelling concern that the US might not take a major role in ensuring safe passage for shippers through the waterway. REUTERS