Iran defense deputy meets Russian, Belarusian officials

At a Security Council debate on maritime security, the U.S. envoy accused Tehran of holding the global economy “hostage,” while Iran’s envoy denounced Washington as “pirates and terrorists” for targeting commercial vessels.

“The world’s critical waterways are not bargaining chips that belong to any one country,” U.S. envoy Dorothy Shea told the council.

She said Iran was using the strait “like its own moat and drawbridge” and accused Tehran of laying sea mines, firing on civilian ships and threatening to charge tolls to allow vessels through.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected the accusations and said the United States was “acting like pirates and terrorists” by targeting commercial vessels through “coercion and intimidation,” terrorizing crews, seizing ships and “taking crew members hostage.”

He said countries condemning Iran over the strait “do not dare” criticize Washington’s actions and insisted Tehran’s measures were “grounded in its rights and obligations under the law of the sea and its national laws.”

The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, typically handles around 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, between 125 and 140 ships passed through the strait each day. In the past 24 hours, only seven vessels have done so, according to ship-tracking data.

Iran closed the strait after the start of U.S. and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic and launched attacks on Arab Gulf states, prompting Washington to begin enforcing a naval blockade on Iran-related shipping.

Hundreds of ships and an estimated 20,000 seafarers remain stranded inside the Gulf, according to maritime analysts.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed directly to the parties to restore maritime traffic.

“Open the strait,” he said, “let ships pass, no tolls, no discrimination, let trade resume, let the global economy breathe.”

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, also weighed in, saying Iran could neither legally close the strait nor impose fees on vessels using it.

“There is no legal basis for any country to introduce payments, tolls, fees or discriminatory conditions on international straits,” he told the council.

Dominguez warned that crews were under “significant risks and considerable psychological strain” and said the longer the crisis continues, “the greater the risk of serious accidents, including environmental accidents.”

AEA Director General Rafael Grossi said consensus at the UN Security Council on Iran has broken down and may not return for “a long, long time.”

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, Grossi noted that until 2016 or 2017, Security Council resolutions on Iran were often adopted by consensus without a vote.

“But that consensus is gone. And I don’t see it coming back, perhaps for a long, long time,” he said.

Grossi added that the council is likely to operate in a more “transactional” manner going forward, handling issues on a “case by case” basis rather than through broad agreement.

The United States accused Iran on Monday of holding the global economy “hostage” by blocking the Strait of Hormuz and using the vital waterway as leverage over its nuclear program.

Speaking at a UN Security Council debate on maritime security, US envoy Dorothy Shea said the strait was “not Iran’s hostage, not Iran’s bargaining chip, not Iran’s toll road.”

She accused Tehran of laying sea mines, firing on civilian ships, threatening to charge tolls and launching missiles at Gulf capitals.

Shea also criticized China and Russia for vetoing a Bahrain-backed Security Council resolution aimed at protecting freedom of navigation in the strait.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused the United States on Monday of “acting like pirates and terrorists” by targeting commercial vessels through “coercion and intimidation,” terrorizing crews, seizing ships and “taking crew members hostage.”

Speaking amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, Iravani said countries condemning Tehran’s actions “do not dare” call out Washington.

He insisted Iran’s measures in the strategic waterway are “grounded in its rights and obligations under the law of the sea and its national laws.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that businesses and governments risk sanctions if they engage with Iranian airlines designated by Washington, as commercial flights resume from Tehran.

In a statement first shared with The Wall Street Journal, Bessent said companies providing services to such airlines could face penalties under US sanctions.

“Doing business with sanctioned Iranian airlines risks exposure to US sanctions. Foreign governments should take all actions necessary to ensure that companies in their jurisdictions do not provide services to those aircraft, including the provision of jet fuel, catering, landing fees or maintenance,” he said.

The warning comes as Iran begins restoring commercial aviation activity following recent disruptions, raising concerns in Washington over renewed international engagement with its aviation sector.

Bessent said the United States would continue to enforce its pressure campaign against Tehran and target any entities facilitating prohibited activity.

“The Treasury will impose maximum pressure on Iran and will not hesitate to act against any third parties that facilitate or conduct business with Iranian entities,” he added.