US, Gulf Arab nations draft new UN resolution on Strait of Hormuz

By Simon Lewis

May 4 (Reuters) – The United States and Gulf Arab nations are drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution designed to condemn Iran for blocking the Strait of Hormuz in response to a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.Mike Waltz said on Monday.

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.

KEY DETAILS

• 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 Iran stopplacing sea mines and disclose the locations of mines.

• Waltz says draft resolutionis a “narrower effort” than the previous failed resolution and comes while a ceasefire 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.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)