US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called on the United Nations to pressure Iran “to stop blowing up ships, remove the mines and allow humanitarian relief” in the Strait of Hormuz, as the US and its Gulf allies push a new Security Council resolution.

The draft resolution, co-sponsored by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, could lead to sanctions against Iran and potentially authorize force if Tehran fails to halt attacks on commercial shipping. The strait carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas, and its disruption has sent oil prices soaring.

The Trump administration, which has been hostile to the UN since taking office in January 2025, has preferred to go it alone. But now it has turned to the world body for support, with Rubio calling the vote a test of the UN’s “utility”.

“If the international community can’t rally behind this and solve something so straightforward, then I don’t know what the utility of the UN system is,” Rubio told reporters. He urged China and Russia not to veto the measure.

The resolution demands Iran cease attacks, stop imposing “illegal tolls”, and disclose the location of all mines. It also calls on Tehran to cooperate with UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor. The previous Bahraini draft was vetoed by Russia and China last month.

The new text avoids explicit authorization of force but operates under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Rubio acknowledged “slight adjustments” to the language but said he was unsure if they would avoid a veto. The UN secretary-general would report on compliance within 30 days, after which the Council could consider further measures.

The US hopes to finalize the draft by Friday and hold a vote early next week. China’s UN mission said it was still assessing the text, while Russia’s mission did not immediately comment.

Source: www.aljazeera.com