The United States and several Gulf Arab countries are preparing a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at condemning Iran over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Monday, amid escalating regional tensions.
Waltz said negotiations will take place this week on the resolution, which comes after permanent Security Council members Russia and China blocked a resolution last month that Washington hoped would galvanize international efforts to restore freedom of navigation of the waterway.
The U.S. is co-drafting the new resolution with Bahrain with input from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Waltz told reporters on a briefing call.
The resolution is expected to require Iran to cease attacks on merchant shipping and attempts to impose tolls on shipping in the strait, and it will demand that Iran stop placing sea mines and disclose the locations of mines.
Waltz says the draft resolution is a "narrower effort" than the previous failed resolution and comes while a cease-fire is in place with Iran. "This is much more focused on mining international waterways and on tolling, which all of the economies of the world are affected by, particularly those in Asia," he said.
