Summary
The United Arab Emirates has sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the president of the Security Council asking the Council to authorize measures - including the use of force - to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee safe navigation and navigational rights in and around the strait.
UAE request and legal basis
Mohamed Abushahab, the UAE's ambassador to the United Nations, authored the communication, which was delivered on Tuesday. In it he explicitly cited Chapter Seven of the UN Charter as the legal foundation for action. The letter notes that Chapter Seven empowers the Security Council to respond to threats to peace by authorizing measures that may include force, as well as non-military steps such as economic blockades and severing diplomatic ties.
Scope and purpose of a potential resolution
The request does not aim to establish a new UN mission in the region. Rather, the resolution the UAE envisions would create a formal UN authorization that could lend diplomatic cover to Gulf nations that opt to participate in military operations or join a naval task force intended to counter Iranian control of the waterway.
Operational context and regional responses
The letter frames the request against a backdrop in which Iranian threats have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to a sharp rise in global oil and gas prices. The communication reiterates that Iran has continued to strike major energy facilities while maintaining the closure of the strait, which is described as a vital global energy corridor.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have both considered joining the United States and Israel in the broader conflict, the letter notes. As of now, the UAE is the only Gulf Arab state to announce it will participate in a naval force aimed at reopening the strait or providing escorts for commercial vessels.
Move at the Security Council
Separately, Bahrain - serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council - is reported to be working on a new text to give a mandate to a naval task force charged with reopening the strait. The proposed measures would aim to restore and protect navigational rights without creating a standing UN mission, according to the UAE's presentation.
What remains unresolved
The letter asks for immediate Council action but does not detail the specific composition or command structure of any naval force, nor does it spell out the timing of potential operations. The scope of diplomatic support the resolution would provide is described in general terms rather than as a set of concrete commitments.
The UAE's appeal places the Security Council at the center of an effort to address a disruption that, according to the letter, has significant implications for global energy markets and international shipping.