UNSC Rejected Russia’s Draft Resolution Calling on ‘All Parties’ to Stop Military Activities
March 11, 2026—The UN Security Council passed a resolution on March 11 condemning retaliatory attacks by Iran against the Gulf region, specifically Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Bahrain offered the resolution on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The council approved it on a 13-0-2 vote, with China and Russia obstaining.
The resolution, S. Res. 2817, affirmed the right of “individual or collective self-defense” and deplored “the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including airports, energy installations, objects necessary for food production and distribution, and critical civilian infrastructure, as well as the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas and their consequences for the civilian population, as well as attacks and threats on merchant and commercial vessels in and near the Strait of Hormuz and at the disruption of maritime security and the adverse impact on international trade, energy security and global economy resulting from destabilizing activities and regional tensions in violation of international law.”
The vote came after the council voted 4-2-9 against a separate draft resolution offered by Russia that would have urged “all parties to immediate stop their military activities and refrain from further escalation in the Middle East and beyond.”
Sources:
UNSC resolutions, passed https://docs.un.org/en/S/RES/2817(2026) and drafted https://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/159.
