ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz told Rudaw on Thursday that a newly proposed UN Security Council resolution aimed at safeguarding international maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz has received broad international support, saying that no country should oppose measures protecting global trade and humanitarian aid shipments.
The United States is co-drafting the resolution with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, calling on Iran to halt attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and stop attempts to impose tolls on maritime traffic.
Waltz said the new draft would also demand that Iran cease laying sea mines in the Strait and disclose the locations of existing mines.
According to Waltz, the resolution was crafted in coordination with Gulf Arab allies and framed in line with international law to reduce the likelihood of vetoes from Russia and China.
“Clearly, it's in the world's interest to support this resolution,” Waltz told Rudaw's Namo Abdulla, noting that no member state opposed UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which condemned Iran for attacks on civilian infrastructure.
He added that the draft has already secured 136 co-sponsors.
The initiative follows last month’s failed effort to pass a similar resolution after permanent Security Council members Russia and China blocked the measure aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.
Waltz argued that the international community must reject attempts to disrupt maritime commerce through indiscriminate actions at sea.
“You cannot indiscriminately put mines out in the ocean because you have a disagreement with another party,” he said. “You cannot, whether it's the Straits of Malacca, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bering Strait, see that as a revenue source to just start charging the entire rest of the world.”
The ambassador also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of maritime insecurity, particularly for African countries facing ongoing crises.
“There’s real humanitarian need, particularly in Africa right now, where we have ongoing crises in Sudan and the DRC Congo and elsewhere,” Waltz said, adding that more than 80 humanitarian organizations and the United Nations have called for unrestricted passage of life-saving aid shipments.
“Who would oppose that?” he asked.
