Russia, China, and France moved Thursday to block an Arab-backed drive at the UN Security Council to authorize military force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the three veto powers opposing any language permitting the use of force.
The vote, originally expected Friday, is now set for Saturday after diplomats confirmed Friday is a UN holiday.
Bahrain circulated a fourth revision of the text that authorizes “all defensive means necessary” to secure commercial shipping through the strait and sets a six-month time limit. Earlier drafts explicitly cited Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which permits enforcement measures up to the use of military force, but Bahrain dropped that language to broaden support.
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Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who chairs the council during Bahrain’s April presidency, urged members to back the resolution at a UNSC session Thursday. “We look forward to a unified position from this esteemed Council during the vote that will take place on the draft resolution tomorrow, God willing,” he said, condemning Iran’s “unlawful and unjustified attempt to control international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz” and calling for a “decisive response.”
China’s UN envoy Fu Cong told the council that authorizing force would amount to “legitimizing the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation.”
Russia’s representative rejected a one-sided reading of the crisis, arguing “the current conflict did not occur in a vacuum” and attributing the escalation to US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed any military effort to reopen the strait as “unrealistic” and said France would not join the conflict.
Divisions among the council’s 10 non-permanent members add another obstacle: the resolution needs nine votes for passage before any veto comes into play.
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The last time Russia, China, and France all moved to block a UN military authorization was in March 2003, when the three countries opposed the US-UK resolution for the invasion of Iraq.
The standoff follows the US and Israel’s launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prompted Iran to effectively close the strait. The US began a military campaign to reopen it on March 19. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has since said the waterway will remain closed to its “enemies.”
About 20% of global oil trade transits the Strait of Hormuz. The International Energy Agency warns that supply disruptions in April will run at roughly double March levels. Jet fuel prices in Europe have hit record highs, forcing airlines from Air New Zealand to Vietnam Airlines to cut flights.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese officials ahead of Thursday’s session in a bid to secure their support, a Gulf official told CNN. Neither country shifted its position.
The Security Council adopted Resolution 2817 on March 11, demanding Iran halt interference with navigation through the strait. Iran has not complied.
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