Bahrain circulates revised UN Security Council Hormuz draft after expected veto by Russia and China

Bahrain has circulated a revised UN Security Council draft resolution on protecting commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, retaining language authorizing “all necessary means” but dropping an explicit reference to binding enforcement.

The initial draft, seen by Reuters and backed by other Gulf Arab states and Washington, explicitly invoked Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the Security Council to authorize measures ranging from sanctions to military force.

Diplomats said adoption of such a resolution would have been unlikely, as Iran’s partners Russia and China were expected to veto it if necessary.

The revised text seen by Reuters, which diplomats said is still under negotiation, removes the reference to Chapter VII, but retains language associated with it.

It would authorize states, acting alone or through voluntary multinational naval coalitions, to use “all necessary means commensurate with the circumstances” in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to ensure passage and prevent interference with international navigation, including within or near territorial waters.

The draft also encourages states that rely on commercial maritime routes through the strait to coordinate defensive efforts, including the escort of merchant vessels.

Diplomats say there is a tentative aim to put the text to a vote on Thursday.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass and which underpins Gulf economies, has slowed to a near‑halt after Iran struck vessels amid its conflict with the United States and Israel.