WANA (May 02) – The outcome of a vote on a UAE-sponsored resolution against Iran at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has shown that, despite political pressure and rhetoric surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, no broad consensus against Tehran exists within the UN maritime body.

 

During the 84th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, 59 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution out of a total of 132 member states involved in the voting process. Meanwhile, 32 countries abstained, three voted against, and 38 did not participate.

 

The figures indicate that only around 42 percent of members supported the resolution, while a majority either declined to back it, abstained, or were absent from the vote—undermining claims that a unified front had formed against Iran.

 

Iran, Russia, and North Korea voted against the resolution. A number of other countries, including China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, South Africa, Turkey, Tunisia, and Venezuela, also withheld support by declining to vote in favor.

 

The vote followed a move by the United Arab Emirates to submit a document to the committee seeking to frame political disputes over the Strait of Hormuz as environmental concerns and secure the passage of a resolution targeting Iran.

 

In response, Iran submitted two separate official documents to the committee, stressing that the Marine Environment Protection Committee is a technical body and should not be turned into a platform for selective accusations or politically motivated condemnations.

 

Iran’s delegation said that protecting the marine environment of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz remains a priority for Tehran.

 

However, it argued that any assessment of existing risks would be incomplete without addressing the root causes of regional instability, including the unlawful use of force, military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the role of certain regional governments in escalating tensions.

 

Iran also described the UAE draft as unbalanced and lacking neutrality, warning that injecting political and punitive language into the agenda of a technical committee would weaken the cooperation needed to protect the marine environment.

 

According to the report, Iran requested a formal recorded vote in order to clarify the real level of support for the resolution. The final result demonstrated that backing for the UAE text fell well short of any genuine consensus among IMO members.

 

Following the vote, Iran’s delegation said adoption of the text should not be interpreted in a way that undermines the Islamic Republic’s legal position regarding the root causes of the regional situation, restrictions imposed on maritime traffic, or the role of governments whose actions have increased risks to navigation, seafarers, and the marine environment.

 

Iran also reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the marine environment, ensuring navigational safety, supporting the welfare of seafarers, and engaging in constructive cooperation within the technical mandate of the IMO. It called for an impartial, technical, and cooperative approach to strengthening preparedness and responding to marine pollution.