US proposes resolution to UNSC to defend free navigation, secure Hormuz; Rubio says "test" for UN

Washington DC [US], May 6 (ANI): The United States on Tuesday (local time) proposed a draft resolution in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) aimed at defending freedom of navigation and securing the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing crisis over transit through the strategic waterway due to the ongoing power struggle between Washington and Tehran.
According to a statement from the US Department of State, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran is "holding the world's economy hostage" through threats and actions in the strategic waterway, including alleged attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on ships, laying of sea mines, and efforts to impose tolls on maritime traffic.
Rubio, in the statement, noted that the proposal comes at the direction of US President Donald Trump in conjunction with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.
"At President Trump's direction, the United States, alongside Bahrain and our Gulf partners, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, drafted a UN Security Council Resolution to defend freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the statement read.
The draft resolution reportedly "requires Iran to cease attacks, mining, and tolling" and also "demands that Iran disclose the number and location of the sea mines it has laid and cooperate with efforts to remove them", while supporting the creation of a humanitarian corridor.
The US said it expects the resolution to be voted on in the coming days and hopes for broad international backing from Security Council members.
During a separate White House briefing later, after the release of the written statement, Rubio said the proposed measure represents a "real test for the UN", arguing that failure to adopt it would raise questions about the institution's effectiveness.
He described the proposal as "a very modest request", adding, "If you're telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, then I don't know what the utility of the UN system is if it can't even solve something as straightforward as that," he said.
Rubio also noted that a similar Bahrain-led resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was vetoed by China and Russia last month and further said it would be in the interest of both China and Russia to support the new draft, arguing that instability in the Strait of Hormuz could disrupt global trade and potentially trigger "economic chaos to dozens and dozens of countries around the world".
Earlier in April, Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The resolution was already diluted to secure their abstentions.
The 15-member council saw 11 votes in favour, and two against by China and Russia, and Pakistan and Colombia abstained from voting.
The resolution demanded that Iran immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels and any attempt to impede transit passage or freedom of navigation in the Strait and further calls for the cessation of attacks against civilian infrastructure, including water infrastructure and desalination plants, as well as oil and gas installations. (ANI)