Russia, China Veto UN Resolution To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz. Here's What It Stated
Notably, even if the resolution had been approved, it was not likely to alter the course of the war, which is now in its fifth week. It had already been diluted so that Russia and China could have abstained from it, rather than veto the proposal.
New Delhi: Russia and China issued their veto on a United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The draft failed to pass with 11 votes in favour, two against and two abstentions, and it came in just hours before the 8 p.m. Eastern Time deadline set by US President Donald Trump, who has warned Iran to restore access to the vital waterway.
Notably, even if it was approved, the resolution was not likely to alter the course of the war, which is now in its fifth week. It had already been diluted so that Russia and China could have abstained from it, rather than veto the proposal.
The proposal, put forward by Bahrain, had called for the use of “all necessary means,” diplomatic language that can extend to military action, to guarantee safe passage through the Strait and prevent any blockade.
However, opposition from veto-wielding members Russia, China and France forced the negotiators to tone it down. The revised version removed references to offensive measures, limiting the mandate to “all defensive means necessary.”
The resolution vetoed on Tuesday “strongly encourages states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate with the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz,” the Times of Israel reported.
One-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran’s stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring, AP reported.
“Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the people of the world,” Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said after the vote — “the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
Al Zayani had asked before the vote if the international community would accept being “held hostage to economic blackmail,” pointing to Iran’s threats to global trade and food security by blocking the strait.
“No one should tolerate that they are holding the global economy at gunpoint,” Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said of Iran, “but today, Russia and China did tolerate it.” He said in his statement: “They sided with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as it brutalizes its own people during a national internet blackout, for daring to imagine dignity or freedom.”
Published By : Satyaki Baidya
Published On: 7 April 2026 at 22:22 IST