UAE urges Security Council to enforce resolutions and protect navigations

The UAE called on the United Nations Security Council on Friday to ensure the enforcement of its resolutions and safeguard international navigation, warning that continued attacks on civilians and vital infrastructure are undermining both international law and the credibility of the council itself.

Speaking during an open Security Council debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, Ambassador Ghasaq Shaheen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations, said escalating violations in Gaza, the West Bank, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine and across the wider region exposed a widening gap between legal commitments and realities on the ground.

Shaheen said the issue was no longer the absence of Security Council resolutions, but rather the failure to implement them and enforce compliance.

She accused Iran of carrying out armed attacks against civilians in the UAE and neighbouring countries, stating that since February 28 Tehran had launched thousands of missiles and drones targeting civilian sites and critical infrastructure, including commercial ports, airports, energy facilities, telecommunications networks and food production and distribution facilities.

The UAE diplomat warned that around 20,000 sailors stranded aboard vessels in the Strait of Hormuz were facing life-threatening conditions, adding that disruptions to navigation in the strategic waterway posed a serious threat to global food security, energy supplies and humanitarian operations.

Shaheen noted that the Security Council had adopted Resolution 2817 of 2026 calling for an end to the attacks and the protection of civilians and international navigation, but said violations had continued without Iranian compliance.

“What will this council do to ensure the implementation of its resolutions and preserve its credibility?” she asked.

The UAE also voiced support for a draft resolution presented to the Security Council by Bahrain and the United Statesaimed at protecting international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the UAE, the proposal has so far secured the backing of 138 countries.

Shaheen said the broad support reflected international rejection of what she described as aggressive Iranian behaviour threatening civilians, freedom of navigation and global economic security.

The UAE further referred to an emergency Security Council briefing held earlier this week following a drone attack targeting the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the UAE, describing the strike as a direct threat to civilians and regional nuclear safety.

She stressed that peaceful nuclear facilities must never become targets or instruments of escalation under any circumstances.

Concluding the statement, the UAE said protecting civilians required translating Security Council principles into concrete action through the enforcement of resolutions, stronger accountability mechanisms and the activation of available tools, including relevant sanctions regimes.