This afternoon (11 March), the Security Council is expected to vote on two draft resolutions regarding the current crisis in the Middle East. One was presented by Bahrain on behalf of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—as well as Jordan. The second text was authored by Russia.
At the time of writing, over 85 UN member states had confirmed their co-sponsorship of the GCC’s draft.
Background
Both draft resolutions in blue address the escalating crisis in the Middle East, which was triggered by the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on 28 February and Iran’s subsequent retaliation across the region. The Council met to discuss the crisis in a 28 February emergency briefing. At that meeting, the US described Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes as threats to international peace and security and stated that the objective of its joint military campaign with Israel was to destroy those capabilities, as well as to disrupt Iran’s support to militant proxy groups. Iran condemned the attack as a violation of international law and the UN Charter and underscored its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the Charter. (For background on the Council’s engagement on the Iranian nuclear issue, see our 22 December 2025 What’s in Blue story.)
As part of their large-scale assault, Israel and the US have targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile facilities, and naval assets, as well as top military and political officials, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial 28 February strike. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel as well as other countries in the region that host US military bases. It appears that both sides have also hit critical infrastructure and civilian objects, including residential buildings, energy infrastructure, fuel depots, and desalination plants. Iran has reportedly taken steps to close the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.
The conflict has caused widespread casualties. In a 6 March statement, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, said that over 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since 28 February. During the initial US-Israeli strike, an elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab was hit, resulting in the deaths of at least 175 people, many of them children, according to Iranian health officials. No side has taken responsibility for the strike. Media reports have suggested that it was most likely conducted by US forces, while US government officials have said that the US Department of Defense is investigating the matter. At the time of writing, seven US servicepeople had been killed: six in an Iranian strike on a US operations centre in Kuwait, and one in a strike on a Saudi military base where American forces were stationed. Dozens more people have been killed across the region, including in Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, and Syria.
Hostilities have also erupted in Lebanon, after Hezbollah fired projectiles at Israel, stating that the action was taken in response to Khamenei’s assassination, resulting in retaliatory strikes by Israel and incursions of its forces into Lebanese territory. (For more information, see our 10 March What’s in Blue story.)
Draft Resolutions
There are currently two draft resolutions in blue addressing the crisis. Bahrain’s draft on behalf of the GCC and Jordan condemns Iran’s strikes against these countries; determines that these acts constitute a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security; deplores that civilian objects have been targeted and that the attacks resulted in civilian casualties; and demands that Iran immediately halt the attacks against these countries and fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law (IHL). The draft text in blue also condemns any actions or threats by Iran aimed at closing or obstructing international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. It does not mention the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The other draft resolution in blue was authored by Russia. It is shorter and more general than Bahrain’s and does not name individual countries. The draft text mourns the “tragic loss of life throughout the ongoing hostilities” in the Middle East and urges all parties to immediately stop their military activities and refrain from further escalation in the region and beyond. It condemns all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, calls for their protection in line with IHL, and underlines the importance of ensuring the security of all states in the region. The draft resolution in blue further encourages all parties to “return to negotiations without any further delay” and to make full use of political and diplomatic means to address the crisis.
Bahrain circulated the initial draft of its resolution on 6 March. The following day, Russia circulated its alternative text. On Monday (9 March), Bahrain held a round of consultations on its draft, which China and Russia apparently criticised for being unbalanced and confrontational and failing to consider the root causes of the conflict. It seems that several other Council members expressed general support for the text.
Following the consultations, Bahrain circulated a revised draft with minor edits that slightly moderated language on the Iranian strikes while still condemning them. References to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran were not added. Bahrain put the revised draft under silence procedure until yesterday morning (10 March). China and Russia broke silence, reiterating their previous comments. Bahrain proceeded to put the draft in blue without making further revisions.
Russia also convened informal consultations on its own draft yesterday. While China apparently expressed support for that text, it seems that several other members argued that the Council should focus on the draft text proposed by affected regional countries. Russia nonetheless put its text in blue without further changes.
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**Post-script: On 11 March, the Security Council adopted resolution 2817, submitted by Bahrain on behalf of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—as well as Jordan. The resolution was adopted with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (China and Russia). It was co-sponsored by 135 UN member states.
The Council subsequently voted on the draft resolution submitted by Russia. The draft text failed to be adopted because it did not garner the nine favourable votes required for adoption. It received four votes in favour (China, Russia, Pakistan, and Somalia), two votes against (Latvia and the US), and nine abstentions.
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