Manama
Bahrain has put forward a draft UN 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 get through the council, where Russia and China had veto power.
France circulated a more conciliatory alternative draft resolution, seen by Reuters, on Monday evening.
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 Bahraini 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 countries along its shores – to ensure passage and to prevent moves that block or interfere with international navigation.
