Hormuz Strait Resolution Eases, UN Prepares Vote Amid China Rejections

JAKARTA - The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on a draft resolution to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the script is now much softer after China refused to grant the authority to use force.

Arab News in its report, which was quoted on Tuesday, April 7, said the change came after Bahrain's efforts, as the current chairman of the Security Council, faced rejection from China, Russia, and others. The latest version of the draft resolution, which was also seen by Reuters, removed explicit authorization for the use of force.

Instead, the resolution text only encourages interested countries on the Hormuz Strait trade route to coordinate defensive measures according to the situation. In the draft, these measures could include escorting merchant ships and commercial vessels, as well as efforts to prevent the closure or disruption of international navigation.

This watered-down version is considered to have a greater chance of passing. But the final result is still uncertain. The resolution requires at least nine affirmative votes and cannot be vetoed by five permanent members, namely the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, and the United States.

Previously, Bahrain circulated a draft that gave room for "all necessary defensive means" to protect commercial shipping. However, the vote on the script was postponed on Friday and Saturday. Before that, Bahrain had also previously deleted explicit references to binding enforcement.

Oil prices themselves have soared since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. The conflict, which has now lasted more than five weeks, has led Tehran to largely close the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for world energy traffic.

China is the most vocal opponent of options that contain elements of force. Still referring to the Arab News report, Beijing believes that such a move would only legitimize the use of force in violation of the law and worsen the situation.

At the same time, Iran said it wanted the war to end permanently, but it still rejected pressure to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump also warned Iran that it could be "annihilated" if it did not meet the deadline of Tuesday night to reach an agreement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, after speaking with his Russian counterpart, said China was ready to continue to cooperate with Moscow on the Security Council. According to Wang Yi, the most fundamental way to resolve the Strait of Hormuz issue is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.