TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Russia and China, as reported by Al Jazeera, vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The draft text, voted on Tuesday, was submitted by Bahrain. Eleven out of 15 UNSC members voted in favor, and two abstained. However, Russia and China stated that the move was biased against Iran.
Under the resolution, affected countries would be asked to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz."
Shipments through the narrow waterway, which previously carried one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, practically came to a halt after Tehran threatened to attack ships in response to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
The blockade has caused fuel prices to soar worldwide and prompted some countries, particularly in Asia, to impose consumption restrictions and ration supplies.
The deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the waterway or face a more severe bombing was due to end on Tuesday evening, after he repeatedly issued - and postponed - similar threats.
On Tuesday night, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. After confirming, Iran stated that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be facilitated in coordination with the Iranian military.
US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, condemned the Russian and Chinese veto. He claimed that it marked a "new low," as Iran's closure of the strait prevented medical aid and supplies from reaching humanitarian crises in Congo, Sudan, and Gaza.
"No one should tolerate that. They are holding the global economy at gunpoint. But today, Russia and China did tolerate it," he added.
France regretted the veto. "The aim was to encourage strictly, purely defensive measures to provide the security and safety for the strait without spiralling towards escalation," said its ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont.
Bias Against Iran
Russia and China assert that the resolution is biased against Iran.
China's UN envoy, Fu Cong, stated that adopting such a draft when the US threatened the survival of a civilization would send the wrong message.
Russia's UN envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, said Russia and China proposed an alternative resolution on the situation in the Middle East, including maritime security.
Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, praised China and Russia's move, stating, "Their action today prevented the Security Council from being misused to legitimise aggression."
The wording of the resolution had been the subject of backstage negotiations for several days.
An earlier version of the document explicitly referred to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which gives the UNSC the authority to take actions ranging from sanctions to the use of military force.
However, after China's rejection, Bahrain significantly weakened its draft by removing the authorization for the use of force. Explicit references to binding law enforcement, which were included in the previous draft, were also eliminated.
Read: UN Security Council Delays Vote on Use of Force in Strait of Hormuz
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