United Nations, April 7 Russia and China vetoed on Tuesday a resolution calling for opening the Strait of Hormuz and using defensive measures as the deadline for US President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation loomed.
Pakistan, a member of the triumvirate of countries in a last-minute diplomatic effort, and Colombia abstained on the resolution proposed by Council President Bahrain, while the other 11 members voted for it.
The failed resolution had been toned down from the original version that would have opened the way for offensive military action following France’s objections, in the hope of getting its approval and that of Russia and China.
The final version offered by Bahrain, with the backing of the Gulf countries and Jordan, only called for efforts “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”.
Its main thrust was to “strongly encourage states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Introducing the resolution, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani said: “We declare loud and clear, and unequivocally, that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no right to close this waterway to international navigation, nor to deprive the peoples of the world of these essential and vital resources.”
After it failed, he questioned the Council’s credibility in dealing with an issue that threatens the global economy by throttling a major artery for global energy.
He said failing to adopt the resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, suggesting that threats to international waterways can pass without decisive action by the international community.
The Council convened ten hours before Trump’s deadline for his latest threat to Iran if it did not open the Strait.
In a Truth Social post, he warned that if Iran did not meet the deadline of 8 pm in Washington, “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz defended the resolution and said that when critical shipments are delayed, “the world will know who exactly chose destruction over responsibility.”
The resolution had a simple message: “Iran must stop attacking the Gulf.”
Through their vetoes, Russia and China were tolerating Iran “holding the global economy at gunpoint”.
Russia’s Permanent Representative said his country vetoed the resolution because it was “fundamentally erroneous” and took a “dangerous approach to the situation in the region”.
He also complained that it did not mention the initial attacks by Israel and the US on February 28 that started it.
China’s Permanent Representative Fu Cong echoed this, saying: “The draft resolution failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict in a comprehensive and balanced manner.”
Last month, the Council adopted a resolution, also proposed by Bahrain, condemning Iran’s attacks on the Gulf states and demanding that Tehran open the Strait. Russia and China abstained on that resolution, allowing its passage.
--IANS
al/dan
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