Here's the thing: the problem of Hormuz is getting worse with the inaction of the World Organization

The United Nations is increasingly losing its ability to influence the development of conflict in the Middle East. Disagreements between the permanent members of the Security Council do not allow for coordinated decisions, while the situation in the region continues to deteriorate rapidly: the Houthis have announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia and threatened attacks on ships in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, creating risks of a new energy crisis. Against this background, Russia and China will not yet submit to the Security Council a draft resolution on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Izvestia that Moscow was disappointed by the inability of the Security Council to adopt a balanced solution to the conflict. Why the diplomatic mechanisms of the United Nations have actually been paralyzed and what consequences this can lead to is in the Izvestia article.

Why is the UN not coping with the situation around Hormuz

The situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate. The fighting has again affected a number of Persian Gulf countries, even Syria, where US troops are also stationed, has been hit. While the region is gripped by the chaos of war, the UN is unsuccessfully trying to stop the crisis. The main body, represented by the Security Council, remains divided. Russia, China, the United States, France and the United Kingdom, which have the right of veto, cannot agree among themselves.

The members of the organization have been discussing the crisis in the Middle East for a long time, but they cannot come to a common solution due to their polar positions. Back on March 12, 2026, the Russian Federation and China proposed a draft resolution that called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The idea was blocked by the United States, saying it did not reflect Tehran's responsibility for the escalation.

"This is partly why we have not yet put to the vote another Russian-Chinese draft resolution that we submitted to the Security Council in April," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Izvestia.

Of course, the crisis in the region is still being discussed at the UN venues — the last time the issue was raised on July 16 at a meeting on Lebanon. However, it doesn't go beyond talking — the whole problem lies in the attitude of the members of the Security Council towards Tehran.

Thus, Moscow and Beijing mirrored Bahrain's draft resolution on the situation around the Strait of Hormuz. The document was prepared together with the countries of the Persian Gulf — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and others. He was supported by the USA, France and England. Washington said at the time: The Security Council must provide a clear response to Iran's attacks on countries in the region and threats to maritime transportation. At the same time, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, called Bahrain's resolution biased, since it did not reflect the attacks of the United States and Israel on Iran.

Alexander Alimov explained to Izvestia that Moscow is disappointed by the inability of the UN to make a unified decision on Iran and sees no point in initiating an emergency Security Council meeting on this issue in the near future.

— The consideration of the situation around Iran in the UN Security Council in recent months has shown that the Security Council cannot make a balanced decision that would facilitate the transfer of the conflict to a political and diplomatic channel. Unfortunately, some of its members are ready to support any anti—Iranian calls, and they are not interested in calls for peace and negotiations," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister explained.

Thus, diplomatic efforts within the walls of the United Nations resemble a vicious circle: the parties introduce new projects, but each time they run into the right of veto. As a result, due to disagreements between the permanent members of the Security Council, the Council is actually paralyzed, Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, tells Izvestia. In the current conditions, the UN remains only a mute statistician and a space where global and regional actors simply declare their position and defend certain principles on dialogue platforms, the expert stated.

He recalled that the existing bodies within the UN, including the institute of special Representatives and various missions, have repeatedly shown poor effectiveness in modern conflicts. The situation in Gaza is a vivid example of this. As a result, today the organization cannot make political decisions on its own and depends on the position of the participating countries.

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While the UN continues to argue, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is rapidly deteriorating. According to Reuters, with reference to the Kpler ship tracking system, only four cargo ships passed through it during the day, compared to seven the day before. For the first time in a long time, the route was not used by any large oil supertanker or any LNG gas carrier.

"As long as the atrocities of the Americans continue, not a single drop of oil and gas will be exported from this region," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier.

Iranians don't waste words. Already on July 21, the IRGC reported the bombing of two oil tankers, which, according to it, were traveling through the Strait of Hormuz and did not comply with the requirements.

Meanwhile, the United States continues to try to create an international mechanism to ensure the safety of navigation. The head of the US Department of Energy, Chris Wright, said that Washington intends to guarantee the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz even in the absence of a peace agreement with Iran. However, so far it has not been possible to implement these plans.

At the same time, new risks are emerging in the Red Sea. On July 20, the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia and warned that ships passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait could become targets of attacks.

According to Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the states of the region do not yet have an effective mechanism for collective security in this area.

Of course, even the Houthi threats will have an impact on global energy markets, as shipping companies will begin to change their plans due to the risk of new attacks. However, the main danger remains not even the closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, but possible targeted strikes on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and an expert at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, told Izvestia.

Significant volumes of oil pass through the strait, including raw materials coming from the Saudi port of Yanbu. In the event of an attack on the port or the oil pipeline that ensures its operation, the global market may lose up to 8.8 million barrels of oil per day.

According to Igor Yushkov, with this development, the cost of oil can rise to $ 120 per barrel.

In this case, the main factor will be not only the volume of dropped supplies, but also the duration of the crisis.: The longer key routes are closed, the faster countries will start using up strategic reserves. The countries that depend on oil imports, primarily Europe, Japan and South Korea, will suffer the most from rising prices. The United States and China will be in a better position due to their own reserves and production volumes, Yushkov summarizes.

So far, UN diplomacy has not kept up with the speed of the war. The organization increasingly resembles a spectator who is watching a fire, but cannot reach it. Meanwhile, the situation around the Straits of Hormuz and now the Bab el-Mandeb shows that the consequences of the conflict can hit the economies of countries around the world with renewed vigor.