The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on the territories of several Gulf states.
Thirteen members of the 15-nation council voted in favour of the measure, while Russia and China abstained.
The resolution, authored by Bahrain and submitted on behalf of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), condemns in the strongest terms missile and drone attacks carried out by Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan.
The text, which has 135 co-sponsors, "demands the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan."
It describes the attacks as a serious threat to regional stability and international peace and security.
Bahrain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, expressed his “deepest gratitude” on behalf of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states following the vote, saying the adoption of the resolution represents a “clear stance rejecting attacks against our countries.”
“This region is a lifeline for the global economy and a vital corridor for international trade and energy security,” he said.
Mr Alrowaiei underscored the strategic importance of the Gulf to global economic stability and the need to safeguard navigation and critical infrastructure in the region.
“Ensuring the security of this region is not merely a regional concern,” he added. “It is a shared international responsibility that is closely linked to the stability of the global economy.”
The resolution reaffirms the right of merchant and commercial ships to navigate international waters and condemns “any actions or threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at closing, obstructing, or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, or threatening maritime security in the Bab Al Mandeb”.
It warns that any attempt to impede lawful transit passage or freedom of navigation in these international waterways constitutes a serious threat to international peace.
Iran has struck Gulf states in retaliation to US-Israeli attacks that killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Islamic republic has also fired on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial sea passage for the global fuel trade, in a bid to inflict pain on the global economy.
China’s ambassador, Fu Cong, said Beijing fully understands the “significant concerns” of the Gulf Arab states and urged all parties to the conflict to genuinely respect the sovereignty and security of non-belligerent countries.
He said China had participated constructively in consultations on the resolution but ultimately chose to abstain.
“Regrettably, the draft resolution did not fully reflect the root causes and the overall picture of the conflict in a balanced manner, and the reasonable suggestions put forward by China were not adequately taken into account,” Mr Cong said.
Iran’s permanent representative at the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, lambasted on Tuesday Council members supporting the draft, accusing them of seeking “to reward the aggressors and punish the victim through a biased and politically motivated resolution”.
