Moscow and Beijing strongly defended their positions and directly cited U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest and most dangerous threat to wipe out Iranian civilization as confirmation that the draft resolution would have given Washington and Tel Aviv “carte blanche for continued aggression,” as stated by Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya.
Moscow indicated that the resolution “was riddled with imbalances, imprecise and confrontational elements.” Nebenzya stated that the text proposed by Bahrain in the UN Security Council constitutes a “fundamentally erroneous and dangerous approach” to the actual situation in the region.
The resolution portrayed Iranian actions as the sole source of regional tensions. The illegal attacks by the United States and Israel “were not mentioned at all,” said the Russian diplomat.
Nebenzya and his Chinese counterpart at the UN, Fu Cong, stated that the latest version of the resolution, even as amended, failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict, by showing that the United States and its closest ally, Israel, initiated the war that is now escalating.
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“This wording is highly susceptible to misinterpretation or even abuse,” Fu Cong said in his statement. He added: “The draft resolution, had it been adopted, would have sent the wrong message and would have had serious, very serious consequences.”
The Chinese representative stated that the war is likely to intensify, with the United States now “openly threatening the very survival of a civilization.”
Beijing expressed hope that peace and stability would be restored and reaffirmed China’s commitment to addressing the situation appropriately by tackling its root causes.
“This war should never have happened,” he added, accusing the United States and Israel as instigators and urging them to halt what he described as illegal military actions.
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He also emphasized that China’s position is objective and balanced and urged Iran to cease its attacks. The Russian Federation and China have indicated that they will soon submit an alternative resolution.
Russia and China vetoed a resolution today in the UN Security Council that called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by Iran, and encouraged states to coordinate efforts to ensure security along this route.
The draft resolution, proposed by Bahrain and quite different from the version initially presented to diplomatic representatives, received 11 votes in favor, two abstentions – Colombia and Pakistan – and the veto of two permanent members of the Security Council: Russia and China.
The rejected resolution stated that all ships would enjoy the right of transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and that such passage could not be impeded, in accordance with international law, including the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
It strongly encouraged States interested in using commercial maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz “to coordinate defensive efforts, proportionate to the circumstances, to help ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including through the escort of merchant and commercial vessels, and to deter attempts to close, obstruct, or otherwise interfere with international navigation” through the strait.
The initial version of the text, which was ultimately amended at the request of several countries during the negotiation process, called for a clear mandate to liberate the Strait of Hormuz by force.
The draft resolution was proposed by Bahrain in close coordination with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – as well as with Jordan.
The foreign minister of Bahrain, the country that drafted the resolution, harshly criticized the UN’s most powerful body for failing to take action and allowing the international community to be “held hostage to Iran’s economic blackmail.”
The United States and Israel have been conducting a large-scale military offensive against Iran since February 28. Tehran responded with attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests in the Persian Gulf countries, in addition to blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which caused oil prices to skyrocket.
