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Russia and China Veto U.N. Resolution to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Crisis

Russia and China Veto U.N. Resolution to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Crisis
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Russia and China vetoed a watered-down U.N. Security Council resolution on Tuesday that sought to encourage coordinated action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, blocking a measure backed by 11 of the Council’s 15 members just hours before a U.S. deadline for Iran to ease its blockade expired apnews +1. The vote left one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints effectively shut, after Middle Eastern oil exports had already plunged by more than 60% and global oil supply shrank by around 13% amid the war in Iran pbs +2.

The draft, authored by Bahrain, originally contemplated a Chapter VII mandate authorizing “all necessary means” to secure shipping but was repeatedly diluted over the past week to strip out any explicit green light for force in an effort to avoid a veto pbs +1. The final text “strongly encouraged” states that rely on the Strait to coordinate “defensive” efforts, including naval escorts for merchant vessels, and demanded that Iran cease attacks and interference with navigation pbs +1. It still failed when Beijing and Moscow voted no, with Pakistan and Colombia abstaining, denying the resolution the unanimity needed among permanent members.

Why Russia and China Said No — And Iran Cheered

China and Russia argued that even the scaled‑back draft remained one‑sided and risked being used to legitimize Western military escalation against Iran pbs +1. China’s U.N. ambassador Fu Cong said adopting the text while Washington was “threatening the survival of a civilization” would have sent “the wrong message,” while both Moscow and Beijing instead circulated a rival draft that focuses on an immediate halt to hostilities and broad condemnation of attacks on civilians pbs +1. Iran’s U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani praised the veto, claiming it “prevented the Security Council from being misused to legitimize aggression” and insisting Tehran’s actions in the Strait were lawful defensive measures apnews.

For the United States, Bahrain and other Gulf backers, the veto marked a sharp diplomatic defeat. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz accused Russia and China of “siding with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission” and “holding the global economy at gunpoint,” vowing that “responsible nations” would move ahead with efforts to protect shipping regardless apnews +1. Bahrain, which presides over the Council this month, said the failure showed the international community was allowing threats to a vital waterway to go unanswered and pledged to intensify regional diplomacy apnews. European members, including France, backed the text after helping to dilute the original language and stressed that it aimed only to enable defensive coordination, not authorize war pbs +1.

Energy Markets, Shipping Lanes and a Stalled U.N.

The diplomatic standoff came as the closure of the Strait continued to reverberate through global energy and trade. Data compiled in mid‑March showed Middle Eastern oil exports dropping from about 25.1 million barrels per day to roughly 9.7 million bpd as tanker traffic collapsed under Iranian threats and insurance withdrawals — one of the largest sudden supply shocks on record mirror. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the Middle East war had already reduced global oil supply by around 13%, warning that “all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth” as crude benchmarks hovered above $110 a barrel and analysts openly discussed $150–$200 scenarios if the impasse persists rferl +2.

Beyond oil, the International Maritime Organization reported 21 attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait since February 28, with 10 seafarers killed and about 20,000 crew still stranded on ships in the Gulf france24. IMO Secretary‑General Arsenio Domínguez urged governments to establish humanitarian corridors and coordinate non‑military solutions, saying “fragmented responses are no longer sufficient” france24. Industry data show vessel traffic through Hormuz down by as much as 70–80% in the days after the war escalated, with insurers hiking war‑risk premiums and many owners rerouting or suspending voyages mirror +1.

The Bigger Picture

The veto underscored the limits of the Security Council in managing a crisis that touches the core energy and security interests of all five permanent members, and increased the likelihood that protection of shipping will proceed through ad‑hoc coalitions rather than a U.N.‑mandated framework pbs +1. For markets and vulnerable importers in Asia, Africa and Europe, that means greater uncertainty: higher and more volatile prices, rising transport and insurance costs, and prolonged disruption to flows of oil, gas, grain and fertilizer that normally pass through Hormuz mirror +2. Unless a separate diplomatic track yields a ceasefire and a phased reopening of the Strait, the combination of a paralyzed Council and escalating unilateral moves at sea points to a drawn‑out energy shock whose economic and political aftershocks will extend far beyond the Gulf.