Bahrain and US push second Hormuz resolution as Iran-US talks stall
A draft UN Security Council resolution tabled by Bahrain and the United States has secured 112 co-sponsors, marking a significant diplomatic escalation as peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked over nuclear demands and sovereignty claims.
A draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, tabled by Bahrain and the United States, has secured 112 co-sponsors, representing approximately two-thirds of UN member states. The resolution calls for freedom of navigation, the protection of commercial shipping and energy supplies, and an end to Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are principal sponsors alongside Bahrain and the US.
The diplomatic push occurs amid deadlocked peace negotiations between Iran and the US, with Iran demanding war reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the strait, while the US insists on the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused the US of seeking capitulation rather than peace, stating on X that true peace cannot be built with "humiliation, threat, and forced concession-taking."
China and Russia have expressed reservations about the draft, though it is unclear if they will veto it. This is the second such resolution Bahrain has put before the council; the first, tabled last month, was vetoed by China and Russia. Al Jazeera’s correspondent in New York, Gabriel Elizondo, confirmed the list of co-sponsors takes up three full pages, underscoring the breadth of global concern over the closure of one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
Regional powers are also intensifying their diplomatic efforts. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan travelled to Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari leaders, warning that the strait must not be used as a weapon. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani urged support for Pakistan’s mediation efforts and stated they do not support the resumption of war.
US President Donald Trump is on a three-day state visit to Beijing, where the Iran conflict is expected to feature in discussions with President Xi Jinping. Trump stated before boarding Air Force One that his decision-making is motivated solely by preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, dismissing concerns about domestic inflation and approval ratings.
