PARIS: U.N. Security Council members were to begin talks on Tuesday on a U.S.-backed draft ​resolution that could lead to sanctions against Iran, ⁠and potentially authorise force, if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Western diplomats said.

Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday underscored the stakes ‌as the U.S. and Iran struggle for control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy and trade, shaking a fragile four-week-old truce and reinforcing rival maritime blockades.

A statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the resolution, ​also drafted by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, would require Iran "to cease attacks, mining, and tolling" and demands that Iran disclose the number and location of the sea mines it has laid and cooperate with efforts to ​remove ​them.

Rubio said it would also require Iran to support the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.

"The United States looks forward to this resolution being voted on  in the coming days and to receiving support from Security Council members," he said.

An earlier Bahraini resolution that was backed by the United States and appeared to open a path to legitimise its military action against Iran failed after ⁠Russia and China blocked it.

The U.S. diplomatic push at the United Nations is in stark contrast to recent months during which it has largely acted outside the U.N. framework, launching military strikes against Iran without seeking council authorisation and pressing allies to join ad hoc naval patrols to enforce freedom of navigation.

That approach drew resistance from partners wary of open-ended conflict and legal exposure, prompting sharp criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump against countries he accused of failing to align with U.S.-led efforts.

Monday's escalation, in which the U.S. said it destroyed six Iranian small boats and Iranian missiles hit a UAE oil port, followed Washington's launch of "Project Freedom", ​a U.S.-led effort to move stranded tankers and ‌other vessels through Hormuz.

Against that ⁠backdrop, the draft resolution forms part ⁠of what the diplomats described as a strategy to pressure Iran diplomatically and plan for a post-conflict situation.

Washington has also circulated a proposal, seen by Reuters, to partners for a new multinational maritime coalition, the Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), aimed ​at establishing a post-conflict security architecture for the Middle East and reopening the strait once conditions stabilise.

 

RESOLUTION COULD AUTHORISE SANCTIONS, FORCE

The new draft takes a more ‌cautious approach than the original Bahraini draft in March, avoiding explicit language authorising force while still operating under Chapter VII of the U.N. ⁠Charter, which allows the Security Council to impose measures ranging from sanctions to military action.

It condemns Iran's alleged violations of the ceasefire and its "continuing actions and threats aimed at closing, obstructing, tolling, or otherwise interfering with the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms through the Strait of Hormuz", including the laying of sea mines.

It describes those actions as a threat to international peace and security and demands Iran immediately cease attacks, disclose the locations of any mines and not impede clearance operations.

The text also calls on Tehran to cooperate with U.N. efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor through the strait, citing the disruption of aid deliveries, fertilizer shipments and other essential goods.

The U.N. secretary-general would report back within 30 days on compliance with the measures. The Security Council would reconvene to consider additional steps, including possible sanctions, if Iran failed to implement the resolution.

Diplomats said Washington hopes to close negotiations quickly, with the aim of circulating a final draft by May 8 and holding a vote early next week, although Russia and China still have a competing text under consideration.

Asked if the resolution could avoid another Chinese veto, a spokesperson for China's U.N. mission said: "The draft was circulated yesterday in the afternoon. We are still doing our assessment."

Russia's U.N. ‌mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it was not his place to comment ⁠on drafts, but added at a regular briefing: "Obviously we want to see this international waterway open, open safely, and a restoration of ​the freedom of navigation that is so critical to the world."

 

U.S. SEEKS HORMUZ COORDINATION WITH FRANCO-BRITISH MISSION

The Security Council push is being pursued alongside diplomatic outreach on the MFC, a U.S.-led coordination body that would work with a separate Franco-British maritime mission involving around 30 countries.

The Franco-British initiative seeks to lay the groundwork for safe transit through the strait once the situation stabilises or the conflict is resolved, with Iranian coordination.

Some states have signalled any mission would require ​a U.N. mandate before committing military ‌assets.

"The MFC is complementary to other maritime security task forces, including the maritime planning effort the UK and France are leading," according to an informal diplomatic ⁠document sent to governments and seen by Reuters.

"The MFC will remain structurally independent, ​though close coordination is essential to achieve the strongest maritime security architecture possible." (Reporting by John Irish; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by William Maclean and Deepa Babington)