The UN Security Council is now expected to vote next week on a resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said, but veto-wielding China has made clear its opposition to authorising any use of force. A meeting of the Council's 15 members was initially set for Friday, then rescheduled for Saturday. Several diplomats said it had now been postponed until next week, with no new date yet announced.
Bahrain's UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reason for the delay. The resolution has faced resistance from China, Russia and others and has been toned down from its original form. Oil prices have surged since the US and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, unleashing a conflict that has run for more than a month and largely closed the shipping artery. Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalised a draft on Thursday that would authorise "all defensive means necessary" to protect commercial shipping.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani had told the council on Thursday that a vote would be held on Friday, "God willing," and added that Bahrain looked forward to a "unified position from this esteemed council." Bahrain, backed in its efforts to secure a resolution by other Gulf Arab states and Washington, had previously dropped an explicit reference to binding enforcement in a bid to overcome objections from other nations, particularly Russia and China.
A fourth draft of the resolution was put under a so-called silence procedure for approval until Thursday at noon. Diplomats said the silence had been broken, by China, France and Russia, but a text was subsequently finalised, or "put in blue" in UN parlance, meaning a vote can take place. The finalised draft authorises the measures "for a period of at least six months ... and until such time as the council decides otherwise."
However, in remarks to the Security Council on Thursday morning, China's UN envoy Fu Cong opposed authorising force. He said such a move would be "legitimising the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences."
Meanwhile, Iran has authorised the passage of vessels carrying essential goods to its ports through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a letter cited by Iran's Tasnim news agency on Saturday. The letter indicates that ships heading to Iranian ports must coordinate with authorities and comply with established protocols to transit the strait, Tasnim said. Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's total oil trade, in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks that began on February 28.
Separately, Iran attacked an Israel-affiliated vessel with a drone in the Strait of Hormuz, setting the ship on fire, Iran's state media said on Saturday, citing the commander of the Revolutionary Guards navy. There was no immediate comment from Israel. — Reuters
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