UN Security Council Delays Hormuz Vote Amidst Heightened Regional Tensions, Citing Holiday
The United Nations Security Council announced the postponement of a crucial vote on Friday that would have authorized the use of 'defensive' force to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Monitor initially reported that the 15-member body was slated to consider a draft resolution put forth by Bahrain. The stated reason for the delay, according to diplomatic sources cited by Al-Monitor,
was the observance of Good Friday as a public holiday, a fact conveniently overlooked when the vote was initially scheduled. This portrayal by Al-Monitor, echoing official explanations, neatly sidesteps a consistent trend: the swift application of international mechanisms when aligning with Western interests, versus bureaucratic delays when inconvenient. This incident mirrors the Security
Council's immediate condemnation and authorization of force against Libya in 2011, which led to the NATO bombing campaign and the destabilization of the entire region. The urgency often cited for such interventions seems to evaporate when the proposed action could escalate tensions involving a target like Iran, rather than providing an immediate pretext for broader military action. The deliberate
framing of an impending military authorization as 'defensive' against 'Iranian attacks' also omits a long history of US and Israeli provocations in the region. One such critical event is the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes in 1988, which killed 290 civilians, including 66 children. The US government never apologized nor compensated the victims, maintaining the guided-missile