Why is the US seeking UN help to open Hormuz after undermining it?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged the United Nations to pressure Iran “to stop blowing up ships, remove the mines and allow humanitarian relief” in the Strait of Hormuz, he told reporters on Tuesday.

UN Security Council members began closed talks on Tuesday on a resolution the United States has drafted with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, which, if passed, could lead to sanctions against Iran, and potentially authorise force if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the strait.

The closure of the strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies are shipped during peacetime, has caused the price of oil to rocket and prompted fears of a global economic crisis.

However, the Trump administration has taken a hostile approach to the UN since Donald Trump’s inauguration as president in January 2025, and has appeared to prefer to forge its own path on the international stage.

So why has the US turned to the UN for support now, and what is the significance of the latest developments?

What has the Trump administration said about the UN?

On Tuesday, Rubio said the US-proposed UN resolution demanding that Iran cease attacks in the Strait of Hormuz would be a test of the “utility” of the United Nations, and urged China and Russia not to repeat vetoes.

“If the international community can’t rally behind this and solve something so straightforward, then I don’t know what the utility of the UN system is,” Rubio said.

Since Donald Trump began his second term as US president last year, Washington has undermined the UN and the existing international rules-based order.

In September 2025, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump questioned: “What’s the purpose of the United Nations?”

He added: “The UN has such tremendous potential. I’ve always said it. It has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential.”

In the same speech, Trump claimed his administration had ended “seven unendable wars” without any assistance from the body, adding, “It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them.”

In January this year, Trump assembled a “Board of Peace” as a part of a US-brokered plan to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

When a reporter asked Trump if he wanted the Board of Peace to replace the UN, Trump said that it “might”.

What UN Security Council resolution has the US proposed?

The US and its Gulf allies have proposed a UN Security Council resolution threatening Iran with sanctions and other measures if it does not halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stop imposing “illegal tolls”, and disclose the placement of all mines to allow freedom of navigation.

The draft resolution, seen by some international media, also demands that Iran “immediately participate in and enable” UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait for the delivery of vital aid, fertiliser and other goods.

It is the latest effort by the US and its Gulf allies to reopen the strait after an initial resolution aimed at opening the strait was vetoed by China and Russia, hours before Washington and Tehran announced their temporary ceasefire in early April.

While Rubio said he looks forward to the vote on the resolution in the coming days, he also told journalists on Tuesday that he remained uncertain if “slight adjustments” the US had made to the text would be enough to avoid a veto from Tehran’s allies on the council.

A previous Bahraini resolution, which was backed by the US and appeared to open a path to legitimise military action against Iran, failed last month when Russia and China exercised their vetoes in the 15-member Security Council.

The new draft avoids explicit language about authorising force while still operating under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the Security Council to impose measures ranging from sanctions to military action.

“Everyone wouldn’t want to see this vetoed again, and we’ve made some slight adjustments to the language,” Rubio told reporters at a White House news briefing, while adding: “I don’t know if it will avoid a veto or not.”

“I think it’s a real test to the UN … as something that functions,” he added.

The draft also calls on Tehran to cooperate with UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor through the strait, citing the disruption of aid deliveries, fertiliser shipments and other essential goods.

The UN secretary-general would report back within 30 days on compliance and the Security Council would reconvene to consider additional steps, including possible sanctions, if Iran is found to have failed to implement the resolution.

When could this resolution be implemented?

Washington reportedly hopes to conclude discussions between Security Council members quickly, with the aim of circulating a final draft of the resolution by Friday and holding a vote early next week, although Russia and China still have a competing text under consideration.

Asked if the resolution could avoid another Chinese veto, China’s UN mission said: “The draft was circulated yesterday in the afternoon. We are still doing our assessment.”

Russia’s UN mission did not immediately respond.