UNSC approves resolution condemning Iran retaliatory strikes as Russia, China abstain

Russia proposed a counter-resolution calling for de-escalation, arguing the Bahrain text disproportionately blames Iran   

News Desk - The Cradle 

The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2817 (2026) on 11 March, condemning what it described as Iran’s “egregious attacks” against several Gulf states, according to proceedings released by the UN the same day. 

The measure passed with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions, China and Russia, as the regional war, triggered by Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran on 28 February, approaches its second week and spreads across multiple West Asian countries.

The resolution denounces Iranian strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, and demands an immediate halt to attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure. It also calls on Tehran to stop what it described as threats to maritime trade and support for armed groups across the region.

Bahrain’s representative, whose government led negotiations on the text, said the vote demonstrated overwhelming international backing.

“The message is clear,” he told the UNSC. “The international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian unjust, hostile acts that are targeting sovereign countries and that threaten the stability of their peoples.”

“Every day passing, we are witnessing a further destabilization of the already volatile and tense situation,” Denmark’s envoy warned.

France backed the resolution, with its representative saying that “Iran bears a heavy responsibility for the current escalation,” while stressing that diplomacy and respect for international law remain the only viable path to regional stability.

The US representative, speaking in his national capacity while holding the rotating UNSC presidency, said countries that often disagree had united in backing the text.

“Iran shoots in all directions,” he said, pointing to the unusually large number of states supporting the resolution.

China abstained, arguing the measure failed to address the broader causes of the war. Its representative stressed that US and Israeli military strikes were launched without UNSC authorization, warning that the adopted text “does not fully reflect the root cause and overall picture of the conflict in a balanced manner.”

Russia also abstained and introduced an alternative draft resolution calling for immediate de-escalation without assigning blame, arguing that Bahrain’s text disproportionately places responsibility on Iran while ignoring the US-Israeli strikes that initiated the aggression.

That proposal was rejected in a second vote, receiving four votes in favor, two against, and nine abstentions.

Iran’s delegate sharply criticized the adopted resolution, calling it “a manifest injustice against my country,” and accusing Washington of obstructing efforts to end what he described as “the brutal war of aggression.”