On April 27, the UN Security Council convened at a moment of global alignment — one that put the United States squarely at the center of near-unanimous condemnation of Iran’s illegal obstruction of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Open the Strait”
In his opening remarks, António Guterres said the disruption was hitting the “arteries of global trade,” with consequences already being felt far beyond the region.
Reminding colleagues that the Strait carries roughly one fifth of global oil trade, one fifth of global liquefied natural gas and nearly one third of internationally traded fertilizers, he emphasized, “The economic shock has been immediate — and everyone is paying the price.”
Guterres warned that if the situation persists, the consequences could deepen into something more severe: a global food emergency, with the heaviest burden falling on countries least able to absorb it.
His directive was unambiguous: “Open the Strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination… Let the global economy breathe.”
“Open the Strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination… Let the global economy breathe.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
From Principle to Practice
Following Guterres, Arsenio Dominguez, head of the International Maritime Organization, discussed the operational realities.
Nearly 20,000 seafarers and close to 2,000 vessels remain effectively trapped in the Gulf — caught in a crisis not of their making.
“The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable.”
Dominguez underscored what international law — principally the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)* — makes clear: straits used for international navigation cannot be closed, nor can they be turned into toll roads or leverage points.
Dominguez also discussed his agency’s immediate next steps. The IMO, which has had supported safe passageway in the Strait of Hormuz since 1968, is developing an evacuation framework for stranded ships and crews, while calling on Member States to help clear hazards, stabilize insurance markets and restore safe passage. The objective is practical and urgent: get ships moving again and protect the people who keep global trade afloat.
“The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable.”
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez
“The Entire World Pays the Price”
When U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz took the floor, the room — save for the usual outliers like Russia — was united.
“The world’s waterways are not bargaining chips,” he said, too vital “to be choked off, to be mined, to be weaponized.” Disrupt it, and “the entire world pays the price — and the world is paying.”
In what were some of the strongest rebukes of the session, he reminded the Chamber that, “As a matter of international law, this Strait is not… Iran’s to wield like its own moat and drawbridge. It is not Iran’s hostage… it is not Iran’s toll road.”
Invoking the multinational response to piracy off Somalia’s coast, he pointed to Combined Task Force 151 — a 47-nation, UN-mandated coalition supported by the U.S. navy to secure 3.2 million square miles of international waters. Waltz’s message was clear: a playbook for this kind of protective force already exists. When maritime security is threatened, the Security Council can authorize action — and coalitions, backed by its legal authority and legitimacy, can enforce it.
“This Strait is not… Iran’s to wield like its own moat and drawbridge. It is not Iran’s hostage, it is not Iran’s bargaining chip, it is not Iran’s toll road.”
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz
The consensus in the Chamber was resounding. France warned that even a single breach of navigational freedom risks unraveling the entire maritime order. Panama underscored how one chokepoint can send shockwaves through global trade. Liberia made it tangible: higher prices, delayed goods and the heaviest burden falling on the most vulnerable.
“Built for Times Like This”
By the time the session drew to a close, the contours of the moment were unmistakable. The rules governing maritime order were reaffirmed, the violation clearly named and the expectation of enforcement set.
And it was in that context that Waltz delivered the what may be the most powerful line of the gathering:
“The United Nations was built for times like this.”
Because the session showed that even in a divided world, the system can still function as intended — define the rules, rally support behind them and create the conditions for collective action.
“The United Nations was built for times like this.”
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz
