Bahrain has put forward a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorise ​countries to use "all necessary means" - diplomatic language for force - to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, diplomats said the draft text was backed by other Gulf Arab states and the United States, although they said it was unlikely to get through the council, where Russia and China had veto power.

The draft resolution calls Iran’s actions a threat to international peace and security.

The Bahraini text would authorise countries, acting alone or through voluntary multinational naval ​coalitions, to use "all necessary means" in and around the Strait of Hormuz – including in the territorial waters of countries along its shores – to ensure passage and to prevent ​moves that block or interfere with international navigation.