UNSC splits as Hormuz tensions rise

Russia and China blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution on April 7 that would have backed defensive coordination to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. (news.un.org) The Bahrain-backed draft won 11 votes, but China and Russia used their vetoes and Colombia and Pakistan abstained. The text was co-sponsored by Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. (news.un.org) The resolution urged states using the strait to coordinate defensive steps, including escorts for merchant vessels, and demanded Iran stop attacks on shipping and interference with transit. (news.un.org) Russia said the draft blamed Iran alone while ignoring U.S. and Israeli attacks, and China said it did not reflect the conflict’s “root causes” or the full picture. (news.un.org) That split left the Council without a collective response as the Strait of Hormuz stayed largely closed to normal trade and humanitarian traffic. The waterway sits between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates and links the Persian Gulf to global markets. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2) A ceasefire between the United States and Iran was extended on April 22, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the move created space for diplomacy and confidence-building. Pakistan was identified by the U.N. as a facilitator of talks. (news.un.org) But the waterway did not stabilize. The U.N. reported fresh security incidents on April 22, including a cargo vessel west of Iran that came under fire and a container ship northeast of Oman whose bridge was heavily damaged. (news.un.org) The shipping disruption has spread well beyond the Gulf. U.N. reporting on April 26 said up to 20,000 seafarers were stranded on about 2,000 vessels in the Persian Gulf after the conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran in late February. (news.un.org) The veto also spilled into the wider U.N. system. On April 16, the General Assembly held an emergency session triggered by the China-Russia vetoes, with Assembly President Annalena Baerbock calling for debate to move “to action.” (news.un.org) The immediate question is whether diplomacy can outlast the shipping crisis. U.N. officials have said naval escorts are not a durable fix, and the Council remains divided over who is to blame and what response is legitimate. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2)