UNITED NATIONS/JERUSALEM/DUBAI, March 11, 2026 — The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday demanded that Iran immediately stop missile and drone attacks on Gulf states, as fresh strikes on commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz underscored the growing risk that the widening Iran–Israel war could harden into a prolonged regional and energy-supply crisis. 

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The resolution — adopted 13–0 with Russia and China abstaining — calls for an end to Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and condemns threats to maritime security and global trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. Notably, reporting on the vote said the text did not address the U.S. and Israeli air campaign against Iran, which began on February 28 and has since expanded the conflict footprint across the region. 1

What happened: Security Council action amid escalating strikes and maritime attacks

Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, said after the vote that “the message is clear” and framed the resolution as a defense of sovereignty and a region that serves as a “lifeline for the global economy.” China’s ambassador said Beijing understood Gulf concerns but abstained, arguing that the resolution did not reflect the conflict’s “root causes” in a balanced way. 1

The U.N. action came as maritime security alerts multiplied. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and maritime security sources reported three vessels struck by suspected projectiles on Wednesday in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. UKMTO said a fire aboard one ship was extinguished and that no environmental impact had been detected at that time. 2

A separate shipping-industry report said the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was hit about 11 nautical miles north of Oman, and that three seafarers were missing after the incident, with the owner saying it was working with authorities on rescue efforts. The same report described damage to another vessel near Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE and a further strike northwest of Dubai. 3

Iran’s message: “not a litre of oil” and a $200 warning

Iran, meanwhile, sharpened its economic warning. A spokesperson for the IRGC-linked Khatam al-Anbiya command said Iran would not allow “even one litre of oil” to reach the United States, Israel, or their partners through Hormuz, and warned oil could reach $200 a barrel, according to reporting that cited Reuters. 4

In the same reporting, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher urged “exemptions” to keep humanitarian traffic moving through the strait, warning that disruptions were already affecting aid routes to high-need regions beyond the Middle East. 5

Background and context: a regional war pulling in Gulf states, shipping lanes and proxies

The current conflict began late last month and has since become a multi-theater confrontation involving Israel and the United States on one side and Iran and aligned groups on the other, with Gulf states repeatedly reporting interceptions of incoming missiles and drones. 6

A Reuters-compiled factbox published late Tuesday summarized figures released by Gulf defense authorities through March 9, including the UAE reporting 253 ballistic missiles detected and 1,440 drones detected, and Qatar reporting 127 ballistic missiles detected along with drones and cruise missiles. 7

The conflict has also intensified in Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged sustained attacks. In an official operational update posted Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hezbollah command centers in southern Lebanon and described a new round of strikes in Tehran and Tabriz, including what it said were IRGC-linked weapons R&D and other command facilities. 8

The latest in the last 24 hours: UN vote, record oil release, ship strikes, and diverging war-end expectations

1) A record emergency oil release

In a move aimed at dampening the war’s economic shock, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Wednesday that its 32 member countries had agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves — the largest collective stock release in the organization’s history. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol called the market challenge “unprecedented in scale” and said “oil markets are global so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too.” 9

The IEA said members hold more than 1.2 billion barrels in public emergency stocks, plus an additional 600 million barrels held as industry stocks under government obligation, and that releases would occur on timelines suited to each country. 9

2) Hormuz shipping hit again

Shipping and security updates on Wednesday described projectiles hitting multiple commercial vessels — a concrete escalation in the economic front of the war, where even sporadic attacks can deter insurers, reroute fleets, and create port congestion and storage problems for Gulf producers. 10

3) U.S. military actions around a mine threat

U.S. Central Command said it struck 16 Iranian “minelayers” near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to a U.S. military-focused outlet that cited CENTCOM’s public post and video. The same report said it remained unclear whether mines had actually been deployed. 11

4) Israeli assessment: no certainty of regime collapse

A Reuters report published Wednesday said Israeli officials in closed discussions had acknowledged there was “no certainty” the war would lead to the collapse of Iran’s ruling system and noted no sign of an uprising amid bombardment and warnings of deadly force against protests. The report also said Israeli officials assessed Washington was not close to directing an end to the conflict, despite public comments by President Donald Trump that it could finish soon. 6

5) Iran’s leadership picture

Reuters also reported Wednesday, via an ABC live blog, that Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “lightly injured” but continuing to operate, without providing details of when or how the injury occurred. 4

Regional and global impact: why these developments matter

Energy and inflation pressure: The combination of attacks near Hormuz, threats to restrict oil flows, and the IEA’s extraordinary release highlights how quickly a regional conflict can transmit into global inflation — not only through crude prices, but via shipping and insurance costs that filter into everything from aviation fuel to food imports. 5

Maritime choke points as a strategic lever: The Security Council resolution’s emphasis on freedom of navigation reflects the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is not just a regional waterway but a global trade artery; even limited violence can shut down risk appetite for transits, creating de facto disruption without a formal blockade. 1

A broader battlefield: Beyond Israel and Iran, the conflict has pulled in Gulf states defending their airspace, U.S. forces operating from regional bases, and cross-border fighting involving Hezbollah in Lebanon — increasing the chance of miscalculation across multiple front lines. 7

What may come next (as framed by officials and analysts)

With the U.N. Security Council demanding an end to Iranian attacks on non-belligerent Gulf states, the near-term test will be whether diplomacy changes Iran’s calculus — or whether Tehran continues to use shipping disruption and regional missile pressure as leverage against the U.S.-Israeli air campaign. 1

On markets, the IEA release is designed to buy time, but the central variable remains maritime security: if commercial operators and insurers conclude the corridor is not reliably navigable, supply disruptions can persist even with emergency barrels entering the market. 9