UN Security Council members were yesterday to begin talks on a US-Bahrain-backed draft resolution that could lead to sanctions against Iran, and potentially authorize force, if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, three Western diplomats said.
Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday underscored the stakes as the US and Iran struggle for control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy and trade, shaking a fragile four-week-old truce and reinforcing rival maritime blockades.
The US diplomatic push at the UN is in stark contrast to the past few months during which it has largely acted outside the UN framework, launching military strikes against Iran without seeking council authorization and pressing allies to join ad hoc naval patrols to enforce freedom of navigation.
Photo: Amirhosein Khorgooi / ISNA / WANA via Reuters
That approach drew resistance from partners wary of open-ended conflict and legal exposure, prompting sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump against countries he accused of failing to align with US-led efforts.
Monday’s escalation, in which the US said it destroyed six Iranian small boats and Iranian missiles hit a United Arab Emirates oil port, followed Washington’s launch of “Project Freedom,” a US-led effort to move stranded tankers and other vessels through Hormuz.
Against that backdrop, the draft resolution forms part of what the diplomats described as a strategy to pressure Iran diplomatically and plan for a post-conflict situation.
Washington has also circulated a proposal, seen by Reuters, to partners for a new multinational maritime coalition, the Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), aimed at establishing a post-conflict security architecture for the Middle East and reopening the strait once conditions stabilize.
An earlier Bahraini resolution that was backed by the US and appeared to open a path to legitimize its military action against Iran failed after Russia and China blocked it.
The new draft takes a more cautious approach, avoiding explicit language authorizing force while still operating under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the Security Council to impose measures ranging from sanctions to military action.
It condemns Iran’s alleged violations of the ceasefire and its “continuing actions and threats aimed at closing, obstructing, tolling, or otherwise interfering with the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms through the Strait of Hormuz,” including the laying of sea mines.
It describes those actions as a threat to international peace and security and demands Iran immediately cease attacks, disclose the locations of any mines and not impede clearance operations.
The text also calls on Tehran to cooperate with UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor through the Strait, citing the disruption of aid deliveries, fertilizer shipments and other essential goods.
The UN secretary-general would report back within 30 days on compliance with the measures. The Security Council would reconvene to consider additional steps, including possible sanctions, if Iran failed to implement the resolution.
Diplomats said Washington hopes to close negotiations quickly, with the aim of circulating a final draft by May 8 and holding a vote early next week, although Russia and China still have a competing text under consideration.
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