UN Security Council Debates Military Action to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Bahrain has introduced a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize military force to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid Iran's blockade of the crucial shipping lane. The proposal faces opposition from China and Russia, while France has offered an alternative diplomatic approach.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN Security Council is considering a controversial resolution from Bahrain that would permit military intervention to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains accessible for international shipping, though the measure is encountering resistance from several member nations, three diplomatic sources revealed.

The proposal, which The Associated Press reviewed on Tuesday, emerges as global leaders struggle to address Iran’s grip on the strategic waterway that has caused fuel costs to surge and poses risks to worldwide economic stability.

Under the draft resolution, nations or maritime coalitions would receive authorization to employ force to guarantee safe transit and “to repress, neutralize and deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.” The measure also calls on Iran to “immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels” and halt interference with navigation freedom in the critical passage affecting global trade, energy supplies, and economic conditions.

A diplomatic source indicated the proposal underwent revisions Tuesday following objections from multiple nations about invoking Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which empowers the Security Council to approve measures from economic sanctions to military force.

Bahrain serves as the Arab nation’s representative on the UN’s premier decision-making body and has joined other regional countries targeted by Iranian drone and missile strikes following US and Israeli attacks on Iran beginning February 28. While unclear whether the United States, currently holding the council’s rotating presidency, endorses the initiative, American envoy Mike Waltz has previously expressed preference for regional nations to lead such efforts.

Both China and Russia, permanent Security Council members with veto authority among the 15-nation body, reportedly oppose the current language, one diplomat confirmed.

A second council source revealed France submitted an alternative resolution Monday that avoids naming Iran specifically and would not invoke Chapter Seven provisions. The French proposal instead encourages all sides to avoid escalation and pursue diplomatic solutions. French UN representatives declined to comment on the matter.

The diplomatic sources requested anonymity to discuss confidential negotiations.

Given the disagreements, neither proposal appears likely to reach a vote this week. A previous Bahrain resolution condemning Iranian attacks on its soil gained overwhelming council backing two weeks earlier, with China and Russia choosing abstention.

Throughout the ongoing conflict, Iran has essentially blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to international waters, while claiming to permit safe transit for vessels from non-hostile nations. Approximately twenty percent of global oil supplies travel through this passage, but vessel attacks have virtually halted tanker movements.

The United States initially pursued diplomatic solutions to the Strait of Hormuz crisis last week when President Donald Trump proposed forming an international naval coalition to patrol the waterway. However, America’s key allies rejected the plan, prompting Trump to declare the US could proceed independently.

On Friday, Trump suggested other nations would need to assume responsibility as America considers withdrawing from the conflict. Hours afterward, he indicated the waterway would somehow “open itself.”