NEW YORK — The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a draft resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries and Jordan, demanding that Tehran immediately halt hostilities. The council rejected a Russian proposal seeking an end to the conflict in the Mideast. Thirteen out of the 15 member countries of the Security Council, including the United States, Britain and France, supported Bahrain’s resolution, proposed on behalf of six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and Jordan. A total of 135 countries cosponsored the resolution, demonstrating widespread unity against Iran’s actions that block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil, and threaten the global economy. China and Russia abstained. The votes occured as US and Israeli forces continued bombarding Iran for a 12th day, with Iranian retaliation reverberating throughout the Middle East. “I speak to you now while sirens are sounding,” Bahrain’s representative to the UN Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, told the council, decrying the loss of civilian lives and infrastructure in countries he said posed no threat to Iran. “135 countries stand with you,” said US ambassador Mike Waltz, addressing the countries facing retaliation from Iran. “This is exactly what the United Nations should be about,” he added. The resolution condemns Iran’s attacks, demands an immediate halt to hostilities, and deplores Tehran’s targeting of infrastructure such as ports and energy facilities in the Gulf region. Iran’s representative Amir-Saeid Iravani called it “a deeply regrettable day” for the council. He accused it of misusing its mandate and the United States of “abusing its position” as the current head of the council, while blasting Washington for its “barbaric war against the Iranian people” and for starting the conflict that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many others. “This is a deeply regrettable day for the Security Council and for the international community. Today’s adoption is a serious setback to the Council’s credibility and leaves a lasting stain on its record,” Iravani said. Irvani called the resolution hypocritical in view of the “facts on the ground.” “This resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression. It distorts the realities on the ground and deliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis,” Iravani said, accusing the US and Israel of being behind the resolution. Iravani also said more than 1,348 civilians have been killed and more than 17,000 injured since the US and Israel launched their attack on February 28, including the “massacre of 170 schoolgirls in Minab”. More than 19,000 civilian sites, including residential homes and hospitals, have also been damaged, he added. Both China and Russia abstained but notably decided not to use their veto power to block the resolution, probably because it got wide support, not only in the Security Council but with other member states as well. Addressing the council, Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said his country abstained from the vote on the draft resolution “because it was extremely unbalanced” and would not fulfil the purpose “of meeting international peace and security”. “We regret the situation that Middle Eastern countries find themselves in. Moreover, we think it unacceptable to strike civilian infrastructure of Arab states in the Gulf,” Nebenzia said. China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun told the council that the conflict had “neither legitimacy nor legal basis” and the US and Israel must cease their attacks to prevent further deterioration of the regional situation. The UN Council also voted, but failed to pass, a draft resolution put forward by Moscow on Wednesday that called on all sides to cease military action in the Middle East. Russia’s representative said his country’s proposal aimed to de-escalate and did not seek to lay blame for causes of the conflict to ensure its adoption. Nebenzia called it “simple, direct and unequivocal in nature,” and said it urged an end to fighting, condemned strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and called for negotiations. Four countries on the Security Council voted in favor of it — Russia, China, Pakistan and Somalia. The United States and Latvia opposed, while France, Britain, Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Greece, Liberia and Panama abstained. Some who did not support the Russian resolution said that in view of its war on Ukraine, Russia’s proposal seemed dubious. — AgenciesNEW YORK — The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a draft resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries and Jordan, demanding that Tehran immediately halt hostilities. The council rejected a Russian proposal seeking an end to the conflict in the Mideast. Thirteen out of the 15 member countries of the Security Council, including the United States, Britain and France, supported Bahrain’s resolution, proposed on behalf of six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and Jordan. A total of 135 countries cosponsored the resolution, demonstrating widespread unity against Iran’s actions that block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil, and threaten the global economy. China and Russia abstained. The votes occured as US and Israeli forces continued bombarding Iran for a 12th day, with Iranian retaliation reverberating throughout the Middle East. “I speak to you now while sirens are sounding,” Bahrain’s representative to the UN Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, told the council, decrying the loss of civilian lives and infrastructure in countries he said posed no threat to Iran. “135 countries stand with you,” said US ambassador Mike Waltz, addressing the countries facing retaliation from Iran. “This is exactly what the United Nations should be about,” he added. The resolution condemns Iran’s attacks, demands an immediate halt to hostilities, and deplores Tehran’s targeting of infrastructure such as ports and energy facilities in the Gulf region. Iran’s representative Amir-Saeid Iravani called it “a deeply regrettable day” for the council. He accused it of misusing its mandate and the United States of “abusing its position” as the current head of the council, while blasting Washington for its “barbaric war against the Iranian people” and for starting the conflict that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many others. “This is a deeply regrettable day for the Security Council and for the international community. Today’s adoption is a serious setback to the Council’s credibility and leaves a lasting stain on its record,” Iravani said. Irvani called the resolution hypocritical in view of the “facts on the ground.” “This resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression. It distorts the realities on the ground and deliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis,” Iravani said, accusing the US and Israel of being behind the resolution. Iravani also said more than 1,348 civilians have been killed and more than 17,000 injured since the US and Israel launched their attack on February 28, including the “massacre of 170 schoolgirls in Minab”. More than 19,000 civilian sites, including residential homes and hospitals, have also been damaged, he added. Both China and Russia abstained but notably decided not to use their veto power to block the resolution, probably because it got wide support, not only in the Security Council but with other member states as well. Addressing the council, Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said his country abstained from the vote on the draft resolution “because it was extremely unbalanced” and would not fulfil the purpose “of meeting international peace and security”. “We regret the situation that Middle Eastern countries find themselves in. Moreover, we think it unacceptable to strike civilian infrastructure of Arab states in the Gulf,” Nebenzia said. China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun told the council that the conflict had “neither legitimacy nor legal basis” and the US and Israel must cease their attacks to prevent further deterioration of the regional situation. The UN Council also voted, but failed to pass, a draft resolution put forward by Moscow on Wednesday that called on all sides to cease military action in the Middle East. Russia’s representative said his country’s proposal aimed to de-escalate and did not seek to lay blame for causes of the conflict to ensure its adoption. Nebenzia called it “simple, direct and unequivocal in nature,” and said it urged an end to fighting, condemned strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and called for negotiations. Four countries on the Security Council voted in favor of it — Russia, China, Pakistan and Somalia. The United States and Latvia opposed, while France, Britain, Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Greece, Liberia and Panama abstained. Some who did not support the Russian resolution said that in view of its war on Ukraine, Russia’s proposal seemed dubious. — Agencies
