China’s ‘Big remark’ at United Nations over Bahrain-backed Hormuz resolution amid ongoing Iran war

Apr 03, 2026

The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on April 3 on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to any authorization of the use of force. Oil prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, kicking off a conflict that has now exceeded a month and effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic. Diplomats said Bahrain, which currently chairs the 15-member Security Council, finalized a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorize "all defensive means necessary" to protect commercial shipping. "We look forward to a unified position from this esteemed Council during the vote that will take place on the draft resolution tomorrow, God willing," Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told the Council. Bahrain, backed in its efforts to secure a resolution by other Gulf Arab states and Washington, had previously dropped an explicit reference to binding enforcement in a bid to overcome objections from other nations, particularly Russia and China. The draft seen by Reuters authorizes the measures "for a period of at least six months ... and until such time as the council decides otherwise." However, speaking to the Security Council on Thursday morning, China's U.N. envoy Fu Cong opposed authorizing the use of force.