Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the United Nations for its silence over Iran’s use of mines in the Strait of Hormuz during a Tuesday afternoon press briefing at the White House.
Rubio’s comments came after the State Department announced a U.N. Security Council resolution pressuring Iran to cease attacks, mining, and tolling in the strait. Rubio called on the U.N. to unequivocally pass the new resolution at the briefing.
“I think it’s a real test for the U.N., right, as a function, as something that functions, that can go solve global problems. What is the purpose of the U.N.?” Rubio said. “The U.N. was supposed to be a place where you could peacefully resolve global conflict. Right now, you have a country who is unlawfully, criminally, and illegally taking possession of an international waterway and blowing up commercial vessels and putting mines in the water.”
A ceasefire that paused the Iran war is still in effect despite Tehran’s attacks against U.S. forces and the United Arab Emirates on Monday. But there is currently no clear path for a peace deal between the United States and Iran.
Rubio said it was “unacceptable” for Iran to attack commercial vessels and put mines in the strait, but also for other global powers to sit by as it happened. The criticism echoes that of President Donald Trump, who has lambasted allies over their refusal to get involved in the conflict against Iran.
“We’re going to take it to the U.N., and we’re going to give it another chance to be a forum,” Rubio said. “We’re not even asking people to commit troops to the region and help blow up the Iranian boats.”
“All we’re asking them to do is to condemn it, to call on Iran to stop blowing ships, to remove these mines, and to allow humanitarian relief to come through because there’s humanitarian aid that’s trapped,” he added. “That’s it. There’s a very modest request.”
Several other nations helped draft the resolution, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. Yet a similar resolution introduced last month was shot down by Russia and China.
“If you’re telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, then I don’t know what the utility of the U.N. system is if it can’t even solve something as straightforward as that,” Rubio said.
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He also claimed it was in the best interest of China and Russia for the resolution to pass due to the economic pressure of Iran controlling the strait.
Rubio is one of several administration officials filling in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave.