US, Gulf states seek UNSC action on Iran shipping restrictions

The United States, together with several Gulf Arab nations, is drafting a new United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at condemning Iran for blocking the Strait of Hormuz following a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Monday, May 4.

Waltz stated that negotiations on the draft resolution are set to take place this week. The initiative follows a failed effort last month, when permanent Security Council members Russia and China blocked a previous U.S.-backed resolution intended to rally international support for restoring freedom of navigation through the waterway.

According to Waltz, the United States is co-drafting the new resolution with Bahrain, with additional input from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

The proposed resolution is expected to call on Iran to cease attacks on merchant shipping and halt attempts to impose tolls on vessels transiting the strait. It will also demand that Iran stop placing sea mines and disclose the locations of any mines already deployed.

Waltz described the new draft as more limited in scope than the earlier failed proposal, noting that it comes at a time when a ceasefire with Iran remains in place. “This is much more focused on mining international waterways and on tolling, which all of the economies of the world are affected by, particularly those in Asia,” he said.

By Tamilla Hasanova