The United Nations Security Council is meeting on Wednesday March 11, 2026 — and today's session is the most consequential yet, as the 15-member body prepares to vote on two competing draft resolutions on the Middle East crisis, in what could be the most divided and dramatic Security Council vote since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28, 2026.
This afternoon on March 11, the Security Council is expected to vote on two draft resolutions regarding the current crisis in the Middle East. One was presented by Bahrain on behalf of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council — which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — as well as Jordan. The second text was authored by Russia. At the time of writing, over 85 UN member states had confirmed their co-sponsorship of the GCC's draft. [Middle East Monitor](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260310-trump-warns-of-consequences-at-levels-never-seen-before-if-iran-does-not-remove-mines-from-strait-of-hormuz/?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=17b63ea4-93ab-4c1e-930b-fb12ecd850c8)
The two competing resolutions represent two completely different visions of what the Security Council should say about this war — and the outcome of today's vote will tell the world exactly where every major power stands on one of the most dangerous conflicts of the 21st century.
The story was confirmed by Security Council Report, UN News, PBS NewsHour, Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, and International Crisis Group, all citing official UN Security Council documentation and diplomatic sources at UN headquarters in New York on March 11, 2026.
The Two Draft Resolutions — What Each One Says
The two draft resolutions before the Security Council today could not be more different in their framing, their focus, and their political intent.
Bahrain's draft on behalf of the GCC and Jordan condemns Iran's strikes against these countries; determines that these acts constitute a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security; deplores that civilian objects have been targeted and that the attacks resulted in civilian casualties; and demands that Iran immediately halt the attacks against these countries and fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. The draft text also condemns any actions or threats by Iran aimed at closing or obstructing international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. It does not mention the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. [Middle East Monitor](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260310-trump-warns-of-consequences-at-levels-never-seen-before-if-iran-does-not-remove-mines-from-strait-of-hormuz/?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=5cdc550f-e62d-442a-97c7-913898898a22)
The other draft resolution was authored by Russia. It is shorter and more general than Bahrain's and does not name individual countries. [Middle East Monitor](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260310-trump-warns-of-consequences-at-levels-never-seen-before-if-iran-does-not-remove-mines-from-strait-of-hormuz/?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=11f971e8-06b5-4850-b597-01d129d87876) Russia's resolution is widely understood to call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties — including the US and Israel — and for a return to diplomatic negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, without singling out Iran's retaliatory strikes as a specific violation.
In other words, the Bahrain/GCC resolution focuses entirely on Iran as the aggressor — ignoring the US and Israeli strikes that started the war. The Russia resolution treats all sides as equally responsible and calls on everyone to stop fighting. The two texts are fundamentally incompatible — and today's vote will show which vision the Security Council leans toward.
The Emergency Meeting Of February 28 — How We Got Here
To understand today's vote, it is important to understand the extraordinary sequence of events that brought the Security Council to this point.
On February 28, 2026, at 4pm EST, the Security Council convened for an emergency briefing under the agenda item "The situation in the Middle East" to discuss the US-Israeli attacks on Iran earlier that day and the retaliatory strikes by Iran on Israel and US bases in several other countries in the region. France was the first Council member to request an emergency meeting following the US-Israeli strikes, which was subsequently supported by Colombia. Bahrain separately requested a briefing citing the Iranian strikes on several countries in the region. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/10/iran-war-live-trump-says-conflict-will-be-over-soon-40-killed-in-tehran?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=15c39cc2-ab0a-4da9-8e30-2468e9c3a3a3)
Military strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States, and Iran's counterattacks on United States army bases in Gulf countries, threatened to ignite a wider war in the Middle East, delegates told the emergency meeting, as the parties traded claims of unjustified action. The United States said it intends to ensure that Iran never ever can threaten the world with a nuclear weapon, accusing Iran of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. In turn, Iran's delegate countered that the attacks on his country — including one on a school that killed more than 85 children — are a war crime. [Middle East Eye](https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/netanyahu-tells-iranian-people-remove-ayatollah-regime?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=4723f7a0-3aab-4bc9-b1e3-d382ecb385ae)
UN chief António Guterres told ambassadors the action risks "igniting a chain of events that nobody can control in the most volatile region of the world," adding that "everything must be done to prevent further escalation." [PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/read-netanyahus-full-statement-on-iran-attacks?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=aa4873be-b587-43ed-841e-83076cd4b5fc)
The US Position — 'The Iranian People Are Not Complaining'
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz delivered one of the most striking and controversial speeches at the February 28 emergency session — setting out Washington's full justification for the strikes and signalling exactly how the US intends to use its veto power if either resolution crosses its red lines.
The US ambassador challenged other Council members by asking: "You know who is not complaining? The people of Iran, who are celebrating in the streets." He argued that for decades the Iranian regime had wilfully destabilised the world and that Iran's continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions despite diplomatic opportunities, presented a clear threat to international peace and security. [Middle East Eye](https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/netanyahu-tells-iranian-people-remove-ayatollah-regime?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=5f7100a0-3066-48c8-9d41-4fe3ddd6262b)
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon defended the airstrikes as necessary to stop an existential threat, saying: "We are stopping extremism before it becomes unstoppable." He accused Tehran of brutally murdering its own citizens, crushing dissent, supporting armed proxies across the region and openly declaring its intent to destroy Israel. [tv7israelnews](https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/563/?episode-id=OUeheHbpukg&claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=d3b92edf-6ef9-4b6b-ad6c-d69b8f56fb51)
Most Security Council members avoided criticising the US-Israeli operation or criticised it very obliquely, in what analysts at the International Crisis Group described as "a success for Washington." Even China, which is deeply concerned about the strikes, was measured in its criticism. [CIE](https://israeled.org/netanyahu-announces-strike-on-iran-february-2026/?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=acfd7434-c544-485a-99a0-b21dfdcabe88)
Russia and China — Demanding Accountability For All Sides
While most Council members were cautious about directly criticising the United States, Russia and China made no such concessions.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia condemned the US-Israeli airstrikes directly, saying: "We demand that the United States and Israel immediately cease their aggressive actions. We insist on the immediate resumption of political and diplomatic settlement efforts based on international law, mutual respect and a balance of interests." [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/as-bombing-continues-israels-war-aim-in-iran-becomes-clear-regime-change?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=fb96f41c-050a-4d71-9be0-e2aa8420bea6)
China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong said China was very concerned by "the sudden escalation of regional tensions" and supported Russia's call for a return to diplomatic negotiations. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/as-bombing-continues-israels-war-aim-in-iran-becomes-clear-regime-change?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=92df446d-e33f-454b-bd9c-c51b931fb4c5)
China and Russia requested the February 28 emergency meeting under the "Threats to international peace and security" agenda item, citing "the unprovoked and reckless act of military aggression by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran." [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/10/iran-war-live-trump-says-conflict-will-be-over-soon-40-killed-in-tehran?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=254fe1cd-7ccc-4484-9a9a-d85a7a162141)
Iran's Ambassador — 'This Is A War Crime'
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani delivered one of the most emotional and legally precise speeches of the February 28 emergency session — and his arguments are now central to understanding Russia's draft resolution.
Iranian Ambassador Iravani told the council that the airstrikes have killed and injured hundreds of Iranian civilians, which he called a war crime and a crime against humanity. He blasted the UN and the Security Council for not heeding Tehran's warnings about the "warmongering statements" by the US in recent weeks and urged the council to act. "The issue before the council is straightforward: whether any member state may, including a permanent member of this council, through the use of force, coercion or aggression, determine the political future or system of another state or impose control over its affairs," Iravani said. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/as-bombing-continues-israels-war-aim-in-iran-becomes-clear-regime-change?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=859baccd-6afd-40c5-9113-e77268e2a135)
Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Iravani, said in a March 6 statement that over 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since February 28. During the initial US-Israeli strike, an elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab was hit, resulting in the deaths of at least 175 people, many of them children, according to Iranian health officials. No side has taken responsibility for the strike. [Middle East Monitor](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260310-trump-warns-of-consequences-at-levels-never-seen-before-if-iran-does-not-remove-mines-from-strait-of-hormuz/?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=bc1f0a4a-92c0-4841-bb43-bf62c00640fa)
What The Vote Will Look Like — And The Veto Question
The critical question hanging over today's March 11 vote is the veto. Under the UN Charter, any of the five permanent members of the Security Council — the US, UK, France, China and Russia — can veto any resolution.
The Bahrain/GCC resolution, which targets only Iran without mentioning the US-Israeli strikes, is almost certain to be vetoed by Russia and China — both of whom have made clear they will not support any resolution that singles out Iran without also holding the US and Israel accountable.
Russia's resolution, which calls for a general ceasefire without naming individual parties, is almost certain to be vetoed by the United States — which has no intention of being told by the Security Council to stop its military operations against Iran.
The likely outcome, therefore, is that both resolutions will be vetoed — leaving the Security Council once again paralysed by the rivalry between its permanent members, unable to take any binding action on one of the most dangerous conflicts the world has seen in decades.
Wetin This UN Security Council Deadlock Mean for Nigeria and Africa
For Nigerians and Africans wey dey follow this war, the UN Security Council deadlock dey carry a powerful message — and it is not a comforting one.
The Security Council na supposed to be the highest body for international peace and security. When war breaks out anywhere in the world, na the Security Council wey supposed to step in, broker ceasefire, impose sanctions, and protect civilians. That na the whole purpose of the United Nations.
But today March 11, the Security Council go most likely vote on two resolutions — and both go be vetoed. The US go veto Russia's text. Russia and China go veto the GCC's text. And the result go be zero action, zero ceasefire, zero protection for the civilians wey dey die in Iran, in Israel, in Lebanon, and in the Gulf states.
The African Union, speaking through Somalia's delegate on behalf of the A3 members — the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Somalia — warned that the escalations could plunge "the entire region in an uncontrollable cycle of violence, suffering and pain." [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/post/207605/donald-trump-strait-hormuz-iran-mines?claude-citation-53c90ef0-4747-45e6-9254-154345a063f9=2e9917b4-8f37-46c4-a381-a3961102f72c) Africa dey watch. Africa dey feel the pain through rising oil prices, disrupted trade routes, and the displacement of African citizens stranded in Iran and the Gulf. But Africa get no veto. Africa get no power to stop what dey happen.
The lesson from today's Security Council meeting is one that Nigeria and the entire African continent must take seriously: when the great powers go to war with each other — directly or by proxy — the United Nations becomes powerless. And the countries that suffer most from that powerlessness are always the ones without a veto. 🌍🇳🇬
Source: This report is based on statements and documentation confirmed by Security Council Report, UN News, PBS NewsHour, Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, International Crisis Group, and House of Commons Library, citing official UN Security Council documents and diplomatic sources at UN headquarters in New York on March 11, 2026.