United Nations, March 12 (IANS) The Security Council has adopted a resolution cosponsored by India condemning “in the strongest terms” Iran’s attacks on its neighbours in the Middle East.

The resolution sailed through the Council on Wednesday (local time) after Russia and China, in a surprise move, refrained from vetoing it despite their misgivings.

With those two countries abstaining, it received the votes of the other 13 members of the Council.

Moscow’s and Beijing’s abstentions on the resolution that had the cosponsorship of 135 countries showed Iran’s isolation after it attacked the Gulf neighbours, and Jordan, not directly involved, created an energy crisis affecting economies around the world.

Russia’s Permanent Representative told reporters that although Moscow considered the resolution “biased and one-sided”, it did not veto it because “we recognise that the Gulf countries suffer”.

“What suffers is not just the American bases that are located in these countries, but civilians and civilian infrastructure, which we do not appreciate,” he said.

A rival resolution brought by Russia, calling for an immediate end to the escalation of the conflict and condemning all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, but without naming any country, failed because it did not get the minimum nine votes it needed.

Pakistan joined China, Russia, and Somalia in voting for the resolution, while nine countries abstained.

The negative vote of the US did not amount to a veto since it died without the minimum votes. Latvia also voted against it.

The resolution that was adopted demanded that Iran immediately stop the attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

It was silent on the US and Israel, who started the current conflict by striking Iran.

Tehran extended its counterstrike to the Gulf countries and Jordan, even though they had not themselves joined the attacks, while some of them host US military bases.

Bahrain’s Permanent Representative Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, who proposed the resolution and corralled one of the highest numbers of cosponsors, told the Council, “The international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian unjust, hostile acts that are targeting sovereign countries and that threaten the stability of their peoples”.

He said his country did not participate in the US-Israel attacks on Iran, but Iran had turned on it.

Iran’s Permanent Representative Amir-Saeid Iravani questioned the Council’s credibility after it passed the resolution.

“This resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression,” he said.

“Today’s adoption is a serious setback to the Council’s credibility and leaves a lasting stain on its record,” he added, pointing to US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz presiding over the meeting despite being the country that is an aggressor.

The US got the presidency for the month solely because it was its alphabetical turn.

Israel’s Permanent Representative Danny Danon said, “The Islamic regime is firing on the countries of the region out of desperation, because it understands that the world has already recognised its true face.”

“Tehran is trying to export terror and destruction, but even the Security Council is running out of patience with Iranian aggression,” he added.

Waltz said, “The atrocities that we’re seeing, the deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, on ports, on airports, on energy production facilities, on hotels, on resorts across the Gulf are unacceptable.”

He added, “We urge Iran to hear the voice of the council, of this resolution that saw no opposition today and of the entire international community”.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in)

–IANS

al/sd/