UNSC Adopts Resolution Condemning Iran’s Attacks, Demanding Immediate Halt

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution strongly condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan, demanding that Tehran immediately cease all hostile actions.

The resolution, sponsored by Bahrain on behalf of the GCC and cosponsored by an unprecedented 135 UN member states, passed with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (China and Russia). No country voted against it.

Al Jazeera correspondent Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from UN headquarters in New York, described the support as “overwhelming,” noting that 135 countries cosponsoring the draft was likely the largest number ever for a Security Council resolution.

The text condemns Iran’s attacks, demands an immediate end to hostilities, and deplores the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including ports and energy facilities in the Gulf region.

Elizondo said: “The resolution is very clear; it is now part of international law. The question becomes, will Iran abide by it? We will find out in the coming hours and days.”

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani responded by expressing “profound regret” at the adoption, calling it “a manifest injustice” against Iran and a “serious setback” to the Council’s credibility. He accused the U.S. and Israel of starting the conflict, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and claimed more than 1,348 civilians killed and 17,000 injured since February 28, including the “massacre of 170 schoolgirls in Minab.”

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia explained his country’s abstention, calling the text “extremely unbalanced” and unlikely to contribute to peace and security. He condemned strikes on civilian infrastructure in Arab Gulf states but regretted the broader regional situation.

China’s Ambassador Zhang Jun stated that the conflict lacked “legitimacy or legal basis” and urged the U.S. and Israel to cease attacks to prevent further deterioration.

The vote followed the failure earlier the same day of a Russian-drafted resolution calling for an immediate halt to all military activities in the Middle East. That text received only four votes in favour (Russia, China, Pakistan, Somalia), two against (U.S., Latvia), and nine abstentions.

The adopted resolution comes amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region.