Russian and Chinese UN veto blocks Strait of Hormuz ceasefire resolution

Russia and China vetoed a Bahrain-led UN Security Council resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz hours before Trump's deadline.

Objective Facts

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been repeatedly watered down in hopes those two countries would abstain. The resolution garnered 11 votes in favor, but failed because Russia and China — as permanent veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council — were opposed. The vote — 11 in favor, two against and two abstentions — took place just hours before an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to open the strategic waterway or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. The original version called for member states to use "all necessary means" to unblock the strait and invoked the UN Charter's Chapter Seven, which authorizes the council to approve actions including sanctions and the use of force. The failed text "strongly encourages" member states to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances," to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It also reaffirmed the rights of member states "to defend their vessels from attacks and provocations," in accordance with international law.

Left-Leaning Perspective

In remarks following the vote, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Moscow and China of backing "a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission." "I commend Bahrain and everyone who voted with this resolution for saying enough is enough," Waltz said. "No one should tolerate that they are holding the global economy at gunpoint," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said of Iran, "but today, Russia and China did tolerate it." He said in his statement: "They sided with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as it brutalizes its own people during a national internet blackout, for daring to imagine dignity or freedom." It's doubtful the resolution, even if it had been adopted, would have impacted the war, now in its fifth week, because it was been significantly weakened to try to get Russia and China to abstain rather than veto it. The Trump administration's framing emphasizes Iran's economic coercion of the globe and portrays Russia and China as complicit in enabling a destabilizing regime, while omitting discussion of how Trump's own escalatory rhetoric may have influenced Moscow and Beijing's calculation that the resolution could legitimize further U.S. military action.

Right-Leaning Perspective

In remarks following the vote, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Moscow and China of backing "a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission." "I commend Bahrain and everyone who voted with this resolution for saying enough is enough," Waltz said. "No one should tolerate that they are holding the global economy at gunpoint," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said of Iran, "but today, Russia and China did tolerate it." He said in his statement: "They sided with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as it brutalizes its own people during a national internet blackout, for daring to imagine dignity or freedom." It's doubtful the resolution, even if it had been adopted, would have impacted the war, now in its fifth week, because it was been significantly weakened to try to get Russia and China to abstain rather than veto it. The Trump administration's framing emphasizes Iran's economic coercion of the globe and portrays Russia and China as complicit in enabling a destabilizing regime, while omitting discussion of how Trump's own escalatory rhetoric may have influenced Moscow and Beijing's calculation that the resolution could legitimize further U.S. military action.

Deep Dive

Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, 2026, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy. The original Bahrain proposal would have authorized countries to use "all necessary means"—UN wording that would include military action—to unblock the strait. After Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries on the 15-member Security Council, expressed opposition to approving the use of force, the resolution was revised to eliminate all references to offensive action. But instead the resolution was further weakened to eliminate any reference to Security Council authorization — which is an order for action — and limit its provisions to the Strait of Hormuz. Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, said China and Russia saw the resolution "as too escalatory and not capturing the need for impartial and consistent diplomacy." "They argued that for all of the good faith negotiations Bahrain and its GCC allies engaged with, the text did not capture that core essence and placed all of the blame on Iran," Forti told Al-Monitor. Russia and China strongly defended their opposition, both directly citing Trump's most recent threat yet to end Iran's civilization as confirmation that the proposal would have given U.S. and Israel "carte blanche for continued aggression." The Trump administration's position omits acknowledgment that its own threats against Iran—including Trump's March declaration that the "entire country can be taken out in one night"—provided Moscow and Beijing with reason to fear the resolution would facilitate further U.S. military expansion. The two Iranian allies are expected to submit a counterproposal broadly calling for a cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomacy. The unresolved question is whether a ceasefire-first approach, as Russia and China propose, can succeed while the Trump administration maintains existential threats against Iran. The veto does not settle the underlying dispute: whether opening the Strait requires first ending the broader war or vice versa.

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Russian and Chinese UN veto blocks Strait of Hormuz ceasefire resolution

Russia and China vetoed a Bahrain-led UN Security Council resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz hours before Trump's deadline.

Apr 7, 2026
What's Going On

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been repeatedly watered down in hopes those two countries would abstain. The resolution garnered 11 votes in favor, but failed because Russia and China — as permanent veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council — were opposed. The vote — 11 in favor, two against and two abstentions — took place just hours before an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to open the strategic waterway or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. The original version called for member states to use "all necessary means" to unblock the strait and invoked the UN Charter's Chapter Seven, which authorizes the council to approve actions including sanctions and the use of force. The failed text "strongly encourages" member states to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances," to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It also reaffirmed the rights of member states "to defend their vessels from attacks and provocations," in accordance with international law.

Left says: US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Moscow and China of backing "a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission." The Trump administration argues the veto blocks necessary security measures and enables Iran's blockade that threatens global energy supplies.
Right says: US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Moscow and China of backing "a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission." The Trump administration argues the veto blocks necessary security measures and enables Iran's blockade that threatens global energy supplies.
✓ Common Ground
Some commentators across perspectives acknowledge that one-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran's stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring.
Multiple sources note that Iran has effectively blockaded the strait since the United States and Israel launched the war Feb. 28, rattling financial markets while driving up the cost of oil.
Both Russia and the Trump administration acknowledge that the Security Council has been divided on how to respond, with Russia's Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia and China's Ambassador Fu Cong telling the Council that the most urgent priority now is to end military operations immediately.
Objective Deep Dive

Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, 2026, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy. The original Bahrain proposal would have authorized countries to use "all necessary means"—UN wording that would include military action—to unblock the strait. After Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries on the 15-member Security Council, expressed opposition to approving the use of force, the resolution was revised to eliminate all references to offensive action. But instead the resolution was further weakened to eliminate any reference to Security Council authorization — which is an order for action — and limit its provisions to the Strait of Hormuz.

Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, said China and Russia saw the resolution "as too escalatory and not capturing the need for impartial and consistent diplomacy." "They argued that for all of the good faith negotiations Bahrain and its GCC allies engaged with, the text did not capture that core essence and placed all of the blame on Iran," Forti told Al-Monitor. Russia and China strongly defended their opposition, both directly citing Trump's most recent threat yet to end Iran's civilization as confirmation that the proposal would have given U.S. and Israel "carte blanche for continued aggression." The Trump administration's position omits acknowledgment that its own threats against Iran—including Trump's March declaration that the "entire country can be taken out in one night"—provided Moscow and Beijing with reason to fear the resolution would facilitate further U.S. military expansion.

The two Iranian allies are expected to submit a counterproposal broadly calling for a cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomacy. The unresolved question is whether a ceasefire-first approach, as Russia and China propose, can succeed while the Trump administration maintains existential threats against Iran. The veto does not settle the underlying dispute: whether opening the Strait requires first ending the broader war or vice versa.

◈ Tone Comparison

The Trump administration uses emotionally charged language such as Iran "holding the global economy at gunpoint" and Russia-China "siding with a regime" to frame opposition as moral failure. Russia's Nebenzya responds with technical diplomatic language, calling the resolution "unbalanced, inaccurate and confrontational," emphasizing procedural and substantive disagreements rather than moral condemnation.