China and Russia voted against a United Nations resolution that aimed to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz, as global trade remains impacted due to its closure.
Of the 15-member security council, 11 countries voted in favour, China and Russia voted against, and two countries abstained.
The resolution was submitted by Bahrain alongside Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. After the vote, Bahrain's foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani expressed regret on their behalf.
“The Council failed to shoulder its responsibility in relation to an illegal conduct that requires decisive action with no delay,” he said.
“Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the peoples of the world, the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organisation responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The resolution sought to strongly encourage States interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz and to “coordinate efforts” defensively, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation there, including the use of escorts for merchant and commercial vessels.
It also demanded that Iran immediately cease all attacks on shipping and any attempt to impede transit or freedom of navigation in the strait.
According to Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, the country voted against the resolution as it painted Iran as the sole source of regional tensions while illegal attacks by the U.S. and Israel were “not mentioned at all”.
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said the draft “failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict in a comprehensive and balanced manner.”
