UN Security Council demands immediate halt to Iranian attacks on regional neighbors

NEW YORK – 12 March 2026: The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on several neighboring countries and demanding an immediate halt to the strikes.

The vote took place as violence across the Middle East intensifies.

Iran has launched drone and missile attacks targeting locations across the region, including areas hosting US military forces and other civilian facilities, causing casualties, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iranian cities.

The 15-member council adopted Resolution 2817 (2026), drafted by Bahrain, with 13 votes in favor and none against, while China and the Russia abstained.

Under the resolution, the council strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, reaffirming its support for their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The council also denounced attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure and demanded they stop immediately.

It further called on Tehran to halt threats and actions that disrupt maritime trade and to end support for proxy groups in the region.

Explaining Beijing’s abstention, China’s representative said the United States and Israel had carried out military strikes without Security Council authorization and should stop their operations.

While affirming support for the sovereignty and security of Gulf Arab states, Beijing said the adopted resolution did not fully reflect the root causes of the conflict.

Russia also criticized the measure as passed in “a biased and one-sided tone” before introducing its own draft resolution.

Russia Resolution

In a second vote, the council rejected the Russian proposal, which, according to Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, called on all sides to halt strikes and condemned attacks on both Gulf countries and Iranian territory.

The draft received four votes in favor, from China, Pakistan, Russia and Somalia, two against from Latvia and the United States, and nine abstentions.

Nebenzia said the proposal aimed to urge all parties to stop military actions, condemn attacks on civilian targets, including in Iran, and express solidarity with the Iranian people during the conflict.

The war began with airstrikes by Israel and the United States on February 28.

Nearly two weeks into the war, more than 1,800 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Iran has since responded with near-daily drone and missile attacks on Israel and several Arab countries across the region that host US military presence, killing eight US troops and dozens of civilians in these nations.

Meanwhile, Israel launched attacks on Lebanon in response to Hezbollah rockets that came in solidarity with Iran, killing hundreds including children and displacing more than 750,000 people.