Picture: QNA/ X
New York: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on China and Russia to pave the way for a United Nations resolution aimed at coordinating international efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, saying their joint use of the veto has so far blocked such action.
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to the United Nations in New York, Wadephul said that anyone seeking to uphold the rules-based international order "not only in words but in practice" must enable the adoption of UN resolutions.
He noted that discussions in New York, including debates at the United Nations Security Council on freedom of navigation, showed a broad international consensus on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
He added that a second key point in ongoing US-Iran talks to resolve the Middle East crisis should be Iran's recognition of the need to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stating, "The world does not need new nuclear powers - it needs fewer nuclear weapons."
The German government views a UN resolution as a prerequisite for deploying its armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in any future security mission in the strait.
The waterway is vital to the global economy, particularly for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and global market prices for crude oil and LNG have risen amid the blockade.
