Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026) and Its Effect on Maritime Navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb: A Critical Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37375/lrj.v12i1.3140Keywords:
Charter of the United Nations, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Iran, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Maritime SecurityAbstract
Security Council Resolution 2817, issued on March 11, 2026, represents a significant, albeit legally contentious, intervention in the dispute between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council states, in addition to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. While the resolution addresses critically important issues, such as missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, threats to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, and violations of the principle of the non-recourse to war, its legal structure is subject to numerous observations that will be addressed later.
This research paper undertakes an in-depth analysis of Resolution 2817 through four analytical axes. Employing a critical analytical methodology, these axes are: first, examining the internal structure of the preamble and operative paragraphs, identifying deficiencies in compliance with the UN Charter. Second, this paper reveals the resolution's fundamental legal flaws, including its ambiguous use of the right to collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, its failure to formally activate Chapter VII powers, and its legally questionable approach to addressing proxy wars. Third, the paper conducts a detailed analysis of the resolution's treatment of maritime navigation in light of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, noting that operative paragraphs 7 and 8 of the resolution partially contradict the transit passage regime set forth in Part III of UNCLOS, as well as the navigational freedoms recognised under Part VII of the 1982 Convention. Fourth, the research addresses the political dimensions of the resolution concerning collective security, which will be explored subsequently.
The paper concludes that while the resolution reflects a necessary political response to a genuine security crisis – despite its duplicity – its legal deficiencies, if left unaddressed, may undermine, rather than strengthen, the normative framework regulating the use of force and maritime security in one of the world's most strategically sensitive regions.
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