Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed extreme dissatisfaction during a briefing regarding how the Bahrain-led resolution on the Middle East conflict was coordinated and passed in the UN Security Council.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council approved the document, which condemns Iran but omits any mention of strikes by the US and Israel. While 13 of the 15 council members voted in favor, Russia and China opted to abstain.
"Russia and China abstained because we disagree with the very concept of the document, which was drafted in isolation from the root cause of the current regional escalation. It creates the impression that Iran began attacking targets in neighboring countries of its own volition and out of some supposed malice. Moscow has repeatedly stated that at the core of the current Middle East crisis is the unprovoked aggression of the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We express our extreme dissatisfaction with the way this resolution was negotiated," Zakharova stated.
She further noted that the Bahraini authors of the resolution refused to incorporate a single proposal from Russia or China intended to balance the "lopsided" text.
The Bahraini project, supported by Gulf nations, focuses exclusively on Iranian actions. It "condemns in the strongest terms the blatant attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan," labeling them violations of international law. The resolution also demands that Tehran cease its strikes and condemns efforts to obstruct freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Commitment to Ending the Conflict
Zakharova argued that the voting results for Russia’s own proposed resolution call into question whether other members truly want a swift end to the hostilities. She reminded the briefing that Russia, supported by China, had offered an alternative draft focused on urgent de-escalation and the condemnation of strikes on all civilian targets without assigning blame to specific parties.
"One would think such an impartial UN Security Council decision would be supported by all its responsible members. However, only China, Pakistan, and Somalia voted for our initiative," the diplomat remarked. "The US and Latvia voted against it, while the rest chose to abstain, despite raising no objections to the Russian text during consultations. It appears they are not interested in ending the current confrontation in the Middle East."
Zakharova concluded by reaffirming that, regardless of the March 11 vote, Russia "considers it important to once again confirm the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran, like all other states, to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter." She called the strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran and neighboring Arab countries unacceptable and urged the US and Israel to "halt their aggression and return to the negotiating table."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: fabrikasimf/Freepik
Based on materials from TASS