UN Security Council members are expected this week to begin negotiations on a draft resolution circulated by Bahrain that could authorise the use of force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The draft, seen by The National, accuses Iran of repeated attacks and threats against merchant shipping, and says its actions are a threat to international peace and security.
UN diplomats said the draft resolution had the support of other Gulf Arab countries and the US.
Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the council would permit member states acting “nationally or through voluntary multinational naval partnerships” to use “all necessary means in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including within the territorial waters of littoral states within or bordering the Strait of Hormuz, to secure transit passage and to repress, neutralise and deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation".
The draft also expresses the readiness to impose measures, including sanctions and demands that Iran immediately stop attacks on commercial vessels and any attempts to impede freedom of navigation.
Daniel Forti, head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group, told The National that Bahrain’s draft reflects how regional states and their partners view the Strait of Hormuz as a pressing security and economic concern.
Mr Forti said Bahrain is seeking to build on diplomatic backing from UN member states two weeks ago, but warned it “will be a much harder task to convince China and Russia to support a Chapter VII authorisation that would almost certainly escalate the United States’ military confrontation with Iran”.
Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch’s UN director, told The National that "deliberately targeting civilian vessels and their crews is a war crime."
The draft resolution may be revised as negotiations proceed among the 15 Security Council members. It is unclear whether it will pass, as any of the five permanent members – the US, China, Russia, the UK and France – can veto it.
