Russia, China, and France are planning to block an Arab attempt to get the UN Security Council to authorize military action against Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, according to The New York Times.
According to the publication’s sources, China and France oppose any wording that would authorize the use of force.
The vote on the resolution, drafted by Bahrain, is expected on Friday. However, The New York Times reports that it is not yet clear whether diplomats will be able to persuade the three veto-wielding countries to change their position in the remaining time.
Diplomats also note that there are disagreements among the ten non-permanent members over the resolution.
The current draft of the resolution is already in its fourth version, after several weeks of closed-door negotiations. The main issue was the phrase that the Security Council “allows member states, acting on their own or through voluntary multinational naval partnerships, after informing the Council first,” to use “all necessary means” to stop any efforts to block or interfere with international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts say Bahrain’s initiative in the Security Council is largely symbolic. Most Gulf states have relatively small militaries and rely heavily on U.S. support, and their experience in confronting an army like Iran’s is limited.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia and the UAE have seen diplomacy and economic cooperation as the best way to contain the Iranian threat.
The exception was Bahrain, an island state where a Sunni monarchy rules over a Shiite-majority population and has traditionally had tense relations with Iran, accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs.
