Iran warned the UN Security Council against any “provocative action”, ahead of a scheduled vote on a draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz that ended up being postponed.

“Any provocative action by the aggressors and their supporters, including in the UN Security Council regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, will only complicate the situation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

Araghchi was speaking ahead of a scheduled Security Council vote on a draft resolution mandating a force to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz Friday.

It was later announced that the vote was postponed, with no new date scheduled.

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The Strait of Hormuz, a shipping lane vital to global energy flows, has been all but shut since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.

The 15-member body was set to vote on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain on authorising the use of “defensive” force to protect shipping in Hormuz from Iranian attacks, according to the official programme.

The draft resolution was backed by the US and the Gulf countries hardest hit by the virtual blockade, but member states including Russia, China and France had objected to earlier drafts.

AFP