Countries’ attempts to negotiate a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz have so far failed to break the deadlock after Iran halted transit in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes, while, as of April 4, the war entered its fifth week.
"Any provocative action by the aggressors and their supporters, including in the U.N. Security Council regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, will only complicate the situation," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
Araghchi was speaking ahead of a scheduled U.N. Security Council vote on a draft resolution mandating a force to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz on April 3.
It was later announced that the vote was postponed, with no new date scheduled.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States could "open" the Hormuz Strait and "take the oil" if it has more time.
"With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A 'GUSHER' FOR THE WORLD???" Trump posted.
The message, on his Truth Social platform, did not explain how the United States could end Iranian control over the Hormuz waterway or what oil Trump was referring to.
Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping lane, threatening fuel supplies and roiling the global economy, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war.
The 15-member body was set to vote on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain on authorizing the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in Hormuz from Iranian attacks, according to the official program.
The draft resolution was backed by the U.S. and the Gulf countries hardest hit by the virtual blockade, but member states including Russia, France and China.
A sixth and final draft, seen by AFP, greenlights member states, either unilaterally or as "voluntary multinational naval partnerships,” to use "all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances."
It applies to the strait and adjacent waters to "secure transit passage” and to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."
The measure would last for a period of at least six months.
Revised wording no longer explicitly invokes Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which allows the Security Council to authorize armed force to restore peace.
Also, a U.K.-led meeting of some 40 countries on the strait of Hormuz crisis wrapped up on April 2 with a demand for the "immediate and unconditional" reopening of the vital shipping route, but no immediate breakthrough.
