Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution concerning the Gulf, which strongly encouraged coordinated defensive efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Eleven countries voted in favor, while two members Pakistan and Colombia abstained, BBC reports, as cited by Rks News.
After weeks of negotiations, the draft was softened by removing Chapter VII (authorization for military force) but still encouraged states to use “all necessary defensive measures.”
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, chaired the meeting. He stated before the vote that the draft did not create a new reality but was a serious response to repeated hostile behavior by Iran that must be stopped.
He warned that failure of the Security Council to respond to the use of vital waterways as instruments of influence would have severe consequences for the world and could be repeated in other straits and waterways, potentially turning the world into a “jungle.”
