Ruptly
"China vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, arguing that the text fails to reflect the full reality of the crisis and ongoing regional developments. The resolution, proposed by Bahrain, called for coordinated international efforts to safeguard commercial navigation through the strait. It received 11 votes in favour but was blocked by China and Russia, with Pakistan and Colombia abstaining. "The draft resolution fails to comprehensively and balancedly reflect the root causes and full picture of the conflict," stated Fu Cong, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, warning that it could easily be 'misinterpreted or even abused'. He reiterated Beijing's support for diplomatic efforts and stressed the need for "definite measures and efforts to mediate and promote talks to achieve peace." Amid rising tensions, Fu noted that the current situation points to further escalation, claiming, "The United States openly threatens the survival of a civilisation, and this war imposed on Iran is very likely to further escalate." He cautioned that passing the resolution under these circumstances would "send extremely wrong signals and lead to very serious consequences." The Chinese official blamed the United States and Israel for triggering the crisis, declaring, "The root cause of the obstruction of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the illegal military actions of the United States and Israel against Iran." Shortly before the US president's self-imposed deadline to strike Iranian infrastructure, he announced a two-week suspension of military operations, citing a ceasefire contingent on the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran submitted a 10-point proposal, which Trump described as "a workable basis on which to negotiate." Tensions have escalated in the Middle East following joint US-Israeli military operations against Iran on February 28, at a time when diplomatic talks aimed at 'curbing Iran's nuclear and missile programmes' were underway. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes on Israeli and US assets in the region, accompanied by reports of explosions in several Gulf countries. Iran later confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei named as his successor. The conflict spilt over into Lebanon as Hezbollah intervened 'in revenge' for the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader. Shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, became hazardous following its closure."
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