Bahrain has put forward a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorise countries to use, in the words of the text, “all necessary means” to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The diplomatic phrase is widely understood as authorisation for the use of force.
Diplomats said the resolution, which is backed by other Gulf Arab states and the United States, would be placed under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which allows the Security Council to authorise actions ranging from sanctions to military force. According to Reuters, two European and one Western diplomat said there was little prospect of the resolution being adopted, as Iran’s allies Russia and China, hold veto power on the 15-member body. A resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from any of the five permanent members – Russia, China, the United States, Britain, and France – to pass.
France has circulated a separate, more conciliatory draft resolution that makes no mention of Iran, though details of its specific provisions remain limited. French President Emmanuel Macron has said he supports a UN framework for any action in the Strait but has refused to take part in immediate operations to secure the waterway, insisting that international efforts could only proceed once hostilities calm and with Iran’s consent.
