UN To Vote On Diluted Plan To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz After Russia, China Objections

Last Updated:April 03, 2026, 07:54 IST

Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries of the 15-member Security Council, had expressed opposition to approving the use of force.

The UN Security Council is set to vote on Friday on a proposal to secure the Strait of Hormuz, after the draft was significantly diluted following objections from China and Russia to provisions allowing the use of force to reopen the key shipping route that Iran has largely blocked.

The final draft of Bahrain’s resolution authorises the use of defensive — but not offensive — action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has massively increased the oil prices across the globe, with countries taking measures for fuel security as one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the waterway.

Bahrain’s initial draft resolution would have allowed countries “to use all necessary means" — UN language that would include possible military action — “in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with navigation.

However, Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries of the 15-member Security Council, had expressed opposition to approving the use of force.

The final draft eliminates any reference to allowing offensive military action, but the three countries’ views on the changes are not known, so Friday’s vote will be closely watched.

The proposal now authorises countries “to use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with international navigation “for a period of at least six months." It says countries acting alone on in “multinational naval partnerships" can take defensive means provided advance notification is given to the Security Council.

The development comes after Donald Trump, on Wednesday, while addressing Americans on the Iran conflict, said that the US and Israel will continue to bomb Iran “extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks.

Soon after the US President’s remarks, Iran kept up its retaliatory attacks in the region. Additionally, Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has been a pain point for Trump and the world as rising energy prices roil the global economy.

Before Bahrain released its final draft, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the proposal “does not solve the puzzle". China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong opposed the original draft’s authorisation for the use of force, calling it “unlawful and indiscriminate".

Speaking to the council earlier Thursday, he warned that it “would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences." He urged the council “to proceed with caution" and actively work for de-escalation and dialogue.

France’s UN Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont also called for de-escalation, telling the council that “defensive measures that avoid any broad use of force need to be promoted". He later indicated that the new draft focusing on defence might be acceptable.

The Security Council adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution on March 11 condemning Iran’s “egregious attacks" on Gulf nations and called for Tehran to immediately halt its strikes, which followed the US and Israel launching the war on February 28.

That resolution, adopted by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, also condemned Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a threat to international peace and security and called for an immediate end to all actions blocking shipping.

(With agency inputs)

News world UN To Vote On Diluted Plan To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz After Russia, China Objections

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