PARIS: Bahrain has put forward a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorise countries to use “all necessary means” - diplomatic language for force - to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to a text seen by Reuters on Monday.
Diplomats said the draft text was backed by other Gulf Arab states and the United States, although they said it was unlikely to succeed. The move underscores mounting concern in the region that Iran could continue to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint that carries about a fifth of global oil supplies and underpins Gulf economies.
Closing the Strait has been one of Iran’s main objectives. Shipping through the waterway has ground to a near-?halt after Iran hit vessels in its conflict with the US and Israel. The draft resolution calls Iran’s actions a threat to international peace and security.
The text would authorise countries, acting alone or through voluntary multinational naval coalitions, to use “all necessary means” in and around the Strait of Hormuz – including in the territorial waters of littoral states – to ensure passage and to prevent moves that block or interfere with international navigation.
The resolution also expresses the readiness to impose measures, including targeted sanctions.
The Bahraini and US missions at the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The draft text “demands that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels and any attempt to impede lawful transit passage or freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”
Two European and one Western diplomat said there was little prospect of such a resolution being adopted by the Security Council as Iran’s allies Russia and China were likely to veto the text if needed.
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