By R Anil Kumar
New York, July 3, 2026. During an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, July 2, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN declared that “Iran cannot, and we will not allow it to, hold the global economy hostage.”
The UN Security Council convened at the request of Bahrain to address ongoing tensions in the Persian Gulf and recent attacks launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against Bahrain and Kuwait.
While these regional hostilities persist, the Islamic Republic and the United States are simultaneously engaged in diplomatic talks aimed at converting the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding into a durable peace agreement to end the war. Despite these negotiations, sporadic strikes between both sides continue across southern Iran and the Persian Gulf.
In recent days, the IRGC carried out drone strikes targeting territories in Bahrain and Kuwait. Tehran maintains that the operations exclusively targeted US military bases located within those nations.
Addressing the emergency council, Mike Waltz, the US Permanent Representative to the UN, highlighted that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has negatively affected 61 developing nations, according to UN data, stressing that Iran’s actions have disrupted civilian lives worldwide.
Waltz emphasized that Iran must cease attacks on its neighbors and ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains fully open. “I cannot overstate the significance of the positive window of opportunity currently available to the Iranian government and its people,” Waltz noted, adding a warning: “However, President Trump’s patience has its limits.”
In response to the American envoy and the positions taken by Bahrain and Kuwait, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, stated that the Islamic Republic “strongly rejects the accusations leveled regarding the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iravani labeled the United States the “primary perpetrator of betraying diplomacy,” adding, “The US proudly struck our infrastructure; we are the victims of this war, and our actions against US interests in the region have been purely defensive.” Iravani also asserted that “the free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is guaranteed for up to 60 days without any transit fees.”
Conversely, the Trump administration remains firm that, upon the signing of the final agreement, maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz must return to pre-war conditions, with zero tolls or transit fees imposed on international shipping lines.
