Russia and China have struck down this Tuesday, through the use of their veto power, a draft resolution promoted by Bahrain in the UN Security Council that demanded the "immediate" end by Iran of attacks against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and encouraged States to coordinate efforts to strengthen maritime security, including through naval escorts.
The draft, which did obtain the support of 11 members of the Council, reiterated that the member States also called for the cessation of "attacks against civilian infrastructure, including water infrastructure and desalination plants, as well as oil and gas facilities".
Likewise, the text urged countries to coordinate "defensive efforts proportional to the circumstances, to contribute to guaranteeing the security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, including through the escort of merchant and commercial vessels". This last point was one of the elements that China rejected, by emphasizing that it does not support any military solution to the conflict developing in the Strait area.
"Member States, in accordance with International Law, have the right to defend their vessels from attacks and provocations, including those that undermine the rights and freedoms of navigation, reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea", read the draft resolution.
The document also expressed its willingness to study the adoption of new measures against those who "undertake actions that undermine the rights and freedoms of navigation and obstruct transit passage or freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el Mandeb".