New York, 12 March (H.S.): The United Nations Security Council has unanimously demanded that Iran immediately cease its military strikes against Gulf states, labeling the actions a flagrant violation of international law and a grave peril to global stability.

In a resolution adopted Wednesday by 13 votes with two abstentions, the Council explicitly called for an end to all attacks by the Islamic Republic on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. The measure also condemned any Iranian efforts to disrupt navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

The decisive action follows a spate of Iranian retaliatory strikes on commercial shipping and port facilities in the Gulf, triggered by U.S.-Israeli operations that fatally targeted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and wounded his son, Mojtaba, in the legs and hand. Iranian drones recently hit oil storage tanks at Oman's Salalah Port, while attacks on vessels transiting the Hormuz Strait have ignited fires and disrupted trade routes.

This UN intervention underscores mounting alarm over Iran's campaign to choke global energy flows amid the intensifying Iran War, now in its sixth day with U.S. costs exceeding $11 billion. The resolution arrives as President Trump pledges to finish the job without early withdrawal, and the U.S. prepares to tap 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to stabilize prices.

Gulf states have reported black smoke billowing from a Thai cargo ship bound for India after a Hormuz incident, with Hezbollah launching parallel rocket salvos at Israel. Over 177 Indians have repatriated from Lebanon, and more than 500 from Qatar, as evacuation efforts accelerate.

The Council's stern language signals a unified international pushback against Iran's provocations, which it deems a serious threat to peace. Diplomats warn that continued interference could cascade into broader economic chaos, with oil markets already jittery.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar