Russia and China veto bid to end Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade as Trump's chilling deadline looms
The Bahrain-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council failed following the crunch vote.
China and Russia have vetoed a UN resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz in a dramatic vote hours before Donald Trump’s chilling deadline for Iran to remove its blockade of the vital shipping route is set to expire.
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The Bahrain-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council failed following the rejections from Russia and China as the pair hold veto power on the 15-member council.
The resolution also received 11 votes in favour and two abstentions.
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, told the Security Council ahead of the vote that Gulf states are a vital source of global energy supplies, making the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz a matter of international responsibility linked to international economic stability.
He said Iran had “no right” to shut off the waterway, warning that disruption is cutting off nations from key resources and threatening to send prices soaring further.
The initial Bahrain proposal would have allowed countries to use "all necessary means" to enable transit through the Strait of Hormuz and prevent attempts to close it.
Read more: Oil prices nudge higher amid caution ahead of Trump’s Iran deadline
This was later watered down to allow for "all defensive means necessary" after China, Russia and France expressed opposition.
It comes after Donald Trump warned “a whole civilization will die tonight” if “total regime change” is not enacted in Iran ahead of his proposed peace deal deadline.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, the US President insisted that Iran's population will "never be brought back" if US strikes take place.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote.
An earlier post by the US President threatened to reduce Iran's leadership to "living in hell" as he referred to the Iranian regime as "crazy b*****ds".
Iran has flatly rejected his proposed ceasefire - one that would ultimately see the Strait of Hormuz opened for a short period.
Speaking from the White House on Monday, the US president claimed Iran could be "taken out in one night" and added that the attack could take place today.
He has called the proposal a "significant step", but Iran flatly rejected it on Monday just hours after receiving it.
Mr Trump has said a ceasefire deal with Iran could see the US controlling the Strait of Hormuz and charging to allow ships through.
The White House was later forced to deny that remarks by vice president JD Vance about military operations in Iran had contained any suggestion of a US nuclear strike against Iran.
Speaking in Budapest, Mr Vance said the US has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” against Iran, without explaining further.
On Tuesday, Iranian officials reported damage to at least two bridges, railway infrastructure and a key highway as part of a wave US-Israeli airstrikes.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said Iran is “conducting terrorist activity” against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as a deadline set by Mr Trump for Tehran to end its chokehold on the vital waterway looms.
Mr Rubio said: “The whole world’s been impacted unfortunately because Iran is violating every law known by striking commercial vessels in the Straits of Hormuz, and it’s a big problem for the world.
“I mean, this is a regime that doesn’t believe in laws, rules or anything like that.“It’s a state sponsor of terrorism, so it’s not surprising that they’re now conducting terrorist activity against commercial vessels.”
The UK has urged “de-escalation” in the face of dire warnings by the US, calling for a “negotiated settlement” for the region.