US, Gulf Nations Draft New UNSC Resolution on Strait of Hormuz

The United States and Gulf Arab nations are drafting a UN Security Council resolution designed to condemn Iran for blocking ‌the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli war, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said on Monday. Waltz added that negotiations will take place this week on the resolution, which comes after ⁠permanent Security Council members Russia and China blocked a resolution last month that Washington hoped would galvanize international efforts to restore freedom of navigation of the waterway. Waltz told reporters on a briefing ‌call that the US is co-drafting the new resolution with Bahrain with input from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The ⁠resolution is expected to require Iran to cease attacks on merchant shipping and attempts to impose tolls on shipping in the strait, and it will demand Iran stop placing ⁠sea mines and disclose the locations of mines. Waltz said draft resolution is a “narrower effort” than the previous failed resolution and comes ⁠while a ceasefire is in place with Iran. “This is much more focused on mining international waterways and ⁠on tolling, which all of the economies of the world are affected by, particularly those in Asia,” he said.