Russia and China Block UN Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Just Before Trump’s Deadline

On Tuesday, Russia and China exercised their veto power against a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. This decision came just hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to stop threatening this crucial maritime passage.

President Trump had set an ultimatum for Iran, giving them until 8 p.m. ET to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open, with the warning of potential strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges. The resolution garnered support from 11 members, faced opposition from two, and saw abstentions from Pakistan and Colombia.

“It’s unacceptable that the global economy is being held hostage, yet today, Russia and China have chosen to allow it,” stated U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz. “They stand with a regime that aims to coerce the Gulf into submission, even as it oppresses its own citizens under a national internet blackout, merely for desiring dignity and freedom.”

Following the vote, Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, expressed disappointment, saying, “By not adopting this resolution, we are sending the wrong message to the world—that threats to international waterways can go unchecked by the very organization tasked with upholding global peace and security.”

In a session at the U.N. headquarters in New York on April 7, 2026, Security Council members cast their votes on the resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. China and Russia used their veto power against it. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

The vetoed resolution, which was introduced by Bahrain, “strongly encourages states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate with the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz.”

The resolution also demanded that Iran immediately halt attacks on merchant and commercial vessels and stop impeding their freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian infrastructure. 

The language of the resolution was significantly weakened to try to get Russia and China to abstain rather than veto it, according to The Associated Press. 

The initial Gulf proposal would have authorized countries to use “all necessary means” — U.N. wording that would include military action — to ensure transit through the Strait of Hormuz and deter attempts to close it.

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)

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. It would have authorized only “all defensive means necessary.” A vote had been expected on Saturday. 

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. Previous drafts had included adjacent waters. 

“Let me be clear — this text would only embolden the United States and the Israeli regime to continue in their unlawful actions and atrocious crime, while shielding from accountability,” Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, said following the vote.

Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, of Russia, waits for the start of a Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York City on April 7, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday. “Only the president knows where things stand and what he will do.”