The Israeli ambassador to the UN questioned France, China and Pakistan on Hormuz after their ships reportedly passed through there despite the Iranian blockade.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has attacked his French, Chinese and Pakistani counterparts, accusing their countries of effectively supporting Iran by allegedly striking deals to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The rebuke appears to stem from media reports recently indicating that commercial ships from all three countries were able to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the blockade, despite widespread restrictions on shipping imposed by Tehran, in some cases with Iranian authorization.
“I asked the French ambassador: How much money did you give Iran to allow ships to move safely through the Strait of Hormuz?” Danny Danon said in a post on X shortly after speaking at the UN General Assembly session on the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Surprisingly, he had no answer,” He wrote adding: “The ambassadors of China and Pakistan also had no answer.”
Navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route handling about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows, has been disrupted since Tehran effectively blocked the waterway in response to a US-Israeli bombing campaign that began on February 28.
On Friday, Iran opened the strait to all commercial shipping, considering the move part of a ceasefire arrangement tied to the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, but closed it again the next day. The decision came after US President Donald Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports and shipping would remain in place until a peace deal is reached. Washington had imposed sanctions after bilateral talks failed in Pakistan last weekend.
In March, Iran had said ships from India, China, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be allowed to pass through the vital waterway. Beijing is ranked as the largest buyer of Iranian oil and most of its supplies pass through the chokepoint. At the same time, Malaysian officials thanked Tehran for allowing the country’s ships to pass.
In April, the Financial Times, citing tracking data, reported that a container ship owned by a French shipping company had passed through the Strait of Hormuz along with several other vessels.
At the United Nations, France had earlier voted in favor of resolutions condemning Iran’s blockade of the strait, China either vetoed the measures or voted against in critical terms, while Pakistan abstained.
