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NEW YORK CITY: The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote today on a significantly modified resolution aimed at addressing the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The vote, set for 3 PM GMT, comes as a final diplomatic push just hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reach a deal or face expanded strikes on its national infrastructure.
The current resolution has been ‘watered down’ following intense negotiations and veto threats from permanent members, including Russia and China. Earlier drafts proposed by Bahrain and other Gulf oil exporters sought a clear UN mandate to use military force to reopen the waterway.
However, the final text has been stripped of any explicit authorization for offensive operations. Instead, it ‘strongly encourages’ member states to coordinate ‘defensive’ efforts, such as the naval escort of merchant vessels, to ensure the safety of international navigation.
This shift to a defensive posture was necessary to secure support from members like France, who argued that any mandate must be strictly limited to protecting commercial shipping. Despite these concessions, the draft maintains a firm demand that Iran ‘immediately cease all attacks’ on commercial vessels and end its attempts to impede transit passage.
The global economy remains under severe pressure from the effective blockade, and with military tensions escalating including recent reports of strikes near Iranian nuclear facilities this resolution represents the Council’s last attempt at a collective diplomatic response before the U.S. ultimatum expires tonight.
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