United Nations and International Law

Bahrain has introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize countries and naval coalitions to use 'all necessary means' to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, a Chapter Seven move that implies possible U.N.-backed military force against Iranian efforts to choke off shipping. The text, obtained March 24 by the Associated Press, demands Iran immediately stop attacking merchant vessels and interfering with navigation through the waterway, where attacks have halted nearly all tanker traffic despite Tehran’s claim it allows safe passage for non-enemy ships. Diplomats say several countries, including veto-wielding China and Russia, oppose the current wording and object to placing the measure under Chapter Seven, prompting Bahrain to rework the draft and making a near-term vote unlikely. France has countered with a separate resolution that avoids naming Iran, is not grounded in Chapter Seven, and instead urges all parties to refrain from escalation and return to diplomacy. For a U.S. audience already feeling energy-price pain from the Iran war, the story signals that big powers are now haggling over whether the U.N. will bless armed escorts or strikes to reopen one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints—and that politics in the Security Council may keep that legal cover out of reach for now.