Apr 07, 2026
3 min read
US Ambassador Mike Waltz accuses Iran of "trying to hijack the global economy" and says, echoing Trump's threat of destruction: "it could be his last act"
War in the Middle East
Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to open the Strait of Hormuz.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz accuses Iran of "trying to hijack the world economy" and says, echoing Trump's threat of destruction, "this may be their last act"
Russia and China's veto on Tuesday prevented the United Nations Security Council from adopting a resolution submitted by Bahrain along with other Gulf Cooperation Council countries to ensure maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite 11 votes in favor and abstentions from Colombia and Pakistan, a veto by the Council's two permanent members thwarted approval of the text, which was put to a vote after numerous delays caused by opposition to wording initially proposed by Moscow and Beijing and, at times, by France.Finally, after several days of intense negotiations and up to six drafts, the one that was put to the vote in the Council already represented a watered-down version of what the text originally required.
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, who presides over the Council in April, chaired the meeting on Tuesday and expressed his disappointment with the election results."The Council failed to fulfill its responsibility in the face of illegal actions that require immediate decision-making," he said.
In a speech before the vote, he said, "Iran has no right to close the Hormuz" and recalled that this passage acts as a transit route for about 38% of the world's crude oil trade, 19% of liquid natural gas and 20% of refined petroleum products, including some of those necessary for the production of chemical fertilizers adding trace elements 30% in vitamin, 30% in 30.
American threats
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the administration of Donald Trump, in his speech also criticized the veto of Moscow and Beijing and in his speech he reiterated the threat of the US president to the electric bomb and bridges if Tehran does not reach "acceptable" by 20:00 local time. This Tuesday in Washington.
"Iran is trying to hijack the world economy by holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage," he denounced, "and this may be its last step."
Waltz also said that "the results of the vote do not limit the United States from continuing to act in self-defense and collective defense of allies and partners, and President Trump will continue to take the necessary actions to protect our citizens and the free world."
Russia and China Argument
Both Vasyl Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the UN, and Fu Cun, Beijing's top diplomatic representative, justified their vote against the resolution on the grounds that it was "biased and impartial" and did not address the "root cause" of the war, which they identified as the "illegal" attack on Iran by the United States and Israel.
"Our voice will stand the test of history," Fu said, denouncing the resolution as "one-sided condemnation and pressure" and referring to the use of armed escorts.
Nebenzia, for his part, has confirmed that the resolution has "confrontational elements that have not been adapted according to the truth and are not balanced", and has argued that a written vote "would set a dangerous precedent for international law, international law of the sea and any international peace efforts, as well as the authority of the Council".
Russia and China have announced the presentation of a joint draft of another resolution to try to end the conflict, but the content and timetable for the discussion and possible vote remain unclear.
Failed script
The third operative section of the failed resolution "strongly called on the countries interested in using commercial shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, of a defensive nature and appropriate to the circumstances, to help ensure the safety and security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, including by escorting commercial and commercial vessels, and to thwart attempts to close the Strait of Horuz through or counter the internationalsailing."
The paragraph was an amendment to the previous version tabled last Thursday, which instead authorized member states "individually or through multinational voluntary naval associations" to use "all necessary means" of a defensive nature, under appropriate circumstances, in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters, including in the Strait of Hormuz or a blockade or blockade, for at least six months.closures or closures in the Strait of Hormuz area.interfere with international navigation.
The first version of the resolution cited Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which empowered the Council to take measures ranging from sanctions to military action.
The decision comes amid destabilizing crises in the Red Sea and the Yemeni-controlled Bab el-Mandeb.Threats to navigation have also risen in another poisoned crossing controlled by Yemen.
The document said the Council, both in Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, "wishes to consider appropriate measures against those who engage in activities that undermine the right and freedom of navigation and prevent lawful transit or freedom of navigation."
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