The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, will it go through the UN? For ten days, 15 members of the Security Council have been discussing a draft resolution, led by Bahrain, aimed at authorizing the use of force to free this blocked shipping lane by Iran.
A UN vote pushed by the Gulf States with the support of the United States was supposed to take place on Friday morning before being postponed indefinitely.
“We call on the Security Council to take all necessary measures to protect maritime corridors and ensure the safe continuation of international navigation,” said Jassem Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an organization that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman.
But this idea is not unanimous. Several revisions of the text were needed to arrive at a version that could finally be put to a vote. This sixth and final version is the result of a compromise aimed at convincing France, Russia, and China to lift their objections. These three countries, permanent members of the Security Council, have veto power.
Before the negotiations concluded, French President Emmanuel Macron was skeptical Thursday morning about a military operation to “liberate” the strait, calling it “unrealistic.”
But the latest draft resolution emphasizes that the Council would authorize any state or coalition of states to use all “defensive” means necessary to ensure the security of ships. This defensive mandate stipulation was initially missing. However, it is not certain that this will be enough to convince Russia and China.
“In the current context, authorizing member states to use force would legitimize the illegal and indiscriminate use of force, inevitably leading to a new escalation,” said Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong, while Russia, a longtime ally of Tehran, denounced a “partial” text.
On the other hand, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdoullatif ben Rachid Al Zayani, who chairs the Security Council in April, emphasized the positive aspects of such a text. “It will reflect the unity of the international community in facing threats to one of the most vital maritime routes for global trade and energy security,” he said. Everyone agrees on the assessment. The challenge now is to agree on the means.
