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The Gulf nations sought to push forward a United Nations Security Council resolution, crafted by Bahrain, aimed at authorizing military force to safeguard their shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal appeared straightforward and largely defensive, designed to ensure safe passage.
However, on Thursday, the initiative faced opposition from three nations, notably Russia, China, and unexpectedly, France. These countries resisted any measures that would permit military intervention, as reported by a diplomat and a senior U.N. official.
French President Emmanuel Macron argued that employing force was “unrealistic,” citing the extensive time it would require and the potential risks posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Now that would seem simple, and primarily defensive, to be able to protect yourself and get through.
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, told a session of the Security Council on Thursday that “Iran’s aggressive intentions” toward its Arab neighbors were “treacherous” and “preplanned,” and violated international law. He said Iran had targeted civilian structures such as airports, water stations, seaports and hotels.
Iran signaled on Thursday that it intended to continue to oversee shipping traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz, even after the war.
But the effort was effectively stymied on Thursday by three countries. You could probably guess two of them – Russia and China. But the third was ridiculous: France. They opposed any authorization of military action or use of force, according to a diplomat and a senior U.N. official.
The actual vote on the resolution, which was drafted by Bahrain with the support of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, is expected to be scheduled for Friday. But it remained unclear whether extra hours of diplomacy would bring the three veto-holding countries on board.
Macron said use of force was “unrealistic” because it would “take an inordinate amount of time” and expose people to threats from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
I don’t like to use pejoratives, but throughout writing this, I kept thinking of the term “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” when it comes to France. How do you behave this way, with such a weak-kneed response to dealing with a terrorist regime, even when your own interests are involved? And they don’t even want to authorize the Gulf states to be able to defend themselves, because…it might be violent. Unbelievable. Of course, the Gulf states don’t need the U.N. to act. It should be a world effort, but the U.N. is so ineffective, I wouldn’t bet they can get this through.