China and Russia Unitedly Defend Iran, 'Burying' Trump's Ambitions in the Strait of Hormuz
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - China and Russia have officially exercised their veto rights to reject a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution. This step was taken to defend Iran, with the two nations describing the draft resolution for protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as highly biased against Tehran.
Citing Reuters, China and Russia used their veto despite Bahrain, the resolution’s sponsor, having weakened its draft following previous opposition from Beijing. In the final draft brought to the vote on Tuesday (07/04/2026), points regarding authorisation for military force and explicit references to binding law enforcement had been removed.
China’s UN envoy, Fu Cong, asserted that adopting such a draft while the United States (US) threatens the survival of an entire civilisation would send the wrong message. In line with this, China’s Foreign Ministry emphasised that the Security Council should act to de-escalate tensions and halt conflict, rather than legitimising acts of war.
“The Security Council must not be used to support illegal acts of war, let alone add fuel to the fire,” said ministry spokesperson Mao Ning when asked about the UN resolution during a media briefing.
Russia took a similar stance by proposing an alternative resolution focused on the broader Middle East situation, including maritime security. Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that their draft emphasised diplomatic channels and tension reduction.
“Russia and China propose an alternative resolution on the Middle East situation, including maritime security, which urges de-escalation of ongoing hostilities and a return to diplomatic paths,” Nebenzya said, referring to the draft seen by Reuters.
This action by the two major powers has received high praise from Tehran. Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, commended the decisions of China and Russia, which he said had saved the Security Council’s dignity from certain political interests.
“Their actions today prevent the Security Council from being misused to legitimise aggression,” Iravani stated.
Iravani also informed that the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Jean Arnault, is en route to Tehran for consultations. Arnault, who departed on Monday, is expected to push for an end to the war, though his travel plans heavily depend on on-the-ground security and logistical factors.
On the other hand, the resolution’s failure has sparked major anger from Washington. The US UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, strongly condemned the veto, calling it a new low for allowing Iran to hold the global economy hostage through the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“No one should tolerate that. They are holding the global economy hostage at gunpoint. But today, Russia and China tolerate it. They side with a regime seeking to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as that regime oppresses its own people,” Waltz asserted.
Waltz added that until Iran chooses to reopen the strait and seek peace, the US calls on responsible nations to join in securing shipping lanes. This is crucial given that the strait’s closure has hindered humanitarian aid distribution to Sudan and Gaza.
The situation is further worsened by threats from US President Donald Trump, who stated that “the entire civilisation will die tonight” if Iran does not meet the ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday night Washington time. This five-week conflict has triggered a surge in global oil prices following US and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, could only lament the failure of the draft he sponsored after 11 members supported it, but it was thwarted by the vetoes of two permanent members.
“The draft resolution was not adopted due to negative votes from permanent members of the Security Council,” Zayani said, closing the session.