The U.N. postponed an urgent vote set for Friday on approving the use of “defensive” force to protect shipping transiting the embattled Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks because of a mix-up over the date.
The 15-member Security Council was set to convene Friday morning and vote on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain but just hours before the meeting was abruptly canceled, according to the official program.
The reason?
The U.N. observes Good Friday as a holiday, diplomatic sources cited in an AFP report revealed — despite this fact being known when the vote schedule for the draft was first announced.
Reports by Reuters and Associated Press say the draft includes language allowing countries “to use all defensive means necessary” to secure shipping.
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Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping passage — threatening fuel supplies and upending the global economy — in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war.
“We cannot accept economic terrorism affecting our region and the world, the whole world is being affected by the developments,” Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei lamented ahead of the planned vote and call to action.
He said the text, which has gone through several amendments and is supported by the United States, “comes at a critical juncture.”
A sixth and final draft, seen by AFP, greenlights member states — either unilaterally or as “voluntary multinational naval partnerships” — to use “all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances.”
It applies to the strait and adjacent waters to “secure transit passage and to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”
China, a permanent council member with veto power, has signalled it will join Russia and oppose any resolution that refers to the use of force, casting doubt over its chances of adoption, AP reports.
A new date for the critical vote is yet to be announced or confirmed by the globalist institution.
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