Bahrain accused Iran on Tuesday of using threats to key maritime chokepoints as a form of blackmail and urged the UN to take action.
Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, Bahrain's UN ambassador, urged Security Council members to take “a very firm stance to ensure navigational security and freedom of passage in maritime corridors".
“We must ensure the respect of international law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to safeguard the peace and security of the region and to serve the interests of all member states,” he said.
The comments came as the 15-member council extended for six months a requirement that the UN Secretary General report monthly on Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, amid concerns the instability could further disrupt global trade and energy supplies.
The resolution was adopted with 13 votes in favour, while Russia and China abstained.
Mr Alrowaiei accused Tehran of escalating instability across the region and linked Iranian actions in the Gulf with threats from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
“We have witnessed a deliberate and illegal Iranian attack in the region,” he said.
The meeting underscored growing concern that the conflict could increasingly affect two of the world's most important waterways. The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of global oil consumption, while the Bab Al Mandeb strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a vital route for trade between Europe and Asia.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) warned in a July 6 statement that security conditions are deteriorating in the Red Sea.
IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said security risks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden had increased, quoting “24 attempted and actual incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region” during the previous three months.
US envoy Mike Waltz condemned Iran's attacks on commercial vessels and its attempts to “hold the Strait of Hormuz and with it the world economy hostage".
“The Houthis, a declared terrorist organisation, are Tehran's acolytes,” Mr Waltz told the council. “They have studied the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] playbook, and here's what happens: when Iran kidnaps civilians, the Houthis do, too."
"When Iran hides behind human shields, the Houthis do as well. When Iran targets civilian infrastructure across the Gulf, so do the Houthis. When Iran chants 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America,' the Houthis repeat it word for word."
Mr Waltz warned that Iran's threats to the Strait of Hormuz could soon be replicated in the Red Sea.
"If Iran is willing to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, how long before the Houthis decide to once again mirror their benefactor, their mentors, their idols in Tehran, and try to shut down the Red Sea?" he asked. "They've already threatened to do it."
Mr Waltz said repeated attacks by Houthi rebels were testing the credibility of the Security Council.
“Every time the Houthis fire another missile after this council tells them to stop, they are betting that our words are empty. They are hedging that another Secretary General's report won't mean very much to us – won't cause consequences for them,” he said.
China rejected Mr Waltz’s assessment and accused Washington of taking the Middle East to "a dangerous precipice" with its war against Iran.
"The US has irrefutable responsibility over the current situation in Yemen and the Red Sea,” said China's envoy to the UN, Sun Lei. "It is the US that is obstructing the efforts of the Council to end hostilities and allow the [continuation] of the crisis in Gaza and the expansion of the tensions.
“The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East situation,” said Mr Sun, urging all parties to avoid further escalation.
“The priority now is for the United States to stop creating new conflicts and turmoil in the Middle East."
