Statement by Mr Oļegs Iļģis, DPR of Latvia to the United Nations at UN General Assembly Debate on the Use of the Veto
New York, 16 April 2026
Thank you, Mister President.
The on-going crisis in the Middle East threatens international peace and security with wide-ranging consequences affecting us all around the globe. It is therefore deeply regrettable that a positive outcome was not reached on the resolution submitted by Bahrain due to the vetoes of two permanent members. Latvia remains committed to upholding international law and voted in favour of the resolution in our capacity as an elected member of the Security Council.
Only a month ago the Security Council adopted resolution 2817, co-sponsored and supported by Latvia, alongside an unprecedented number of countries. In it, the Council called upon Iran to refrain from interfering with international navigation. Yet in the days and weeks that have followed, Iran has doubled down and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, shocking the global economy and once again proving the failure of and refusal by the Iranian regime to comply with its obligations under international law.
Mister President,
We must work towards coordinated efforts to protect critical maritime routes and to uphold the binding provisions of resolution 2817. Maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are essential, in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Iran cannot use an international waterway as a bargaining chip and hold the global economy hostage. It is a dangerous precedent which we cannot allow or normalize. Supply chains are being disrupted, global energy prices have risen sharply and acute food insecurity around the globe is growing at an alarming rate. These and other harmful consequences are affecting those most vulnerable the hardest.
Mister President,
Obstructing a resolution designed to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is profoundly troubling. The deliberate efforts by Russia especially, to shield its ally Iran, illustrate a clear pattern of cooperation between these malign actors and against the international rules-based order. Therefore, while the vetoes cast were somewhat shocking, as Iran continues to violate international law and wreak havoc on the global economy, they were not surprising. Iran has materially supported the aggression of Russia against Ukraine and in exchange Russia continues to aid the regime politically, as well as by providing intelligence and military technology that enables Iran to carry out attacks. Even as the regime was slaughtering its own citizens when they pursued the most basic of freedoms – that of peaceful protest – Russia did not waver in its misplaced sympathies.
The fact that we are debating these vetoes as Iran has been attacking civilians in the Gulf with the same weapons it has been supplying to Russia to attack civilians in Ukraine, is striking and tragically ironic. We should all reflect on this.
Mister President,
Finally, allow me to reiterate our sincere solidarity with our partners in the region in the face of unprovoked attacks by the Iranian regime against civilians and civilian infrastructure which we categorically condemn.
The welcome ceasefire must hold and further good faith dialogue is urgently needed. We will continue to support a sustainable solution that ensures that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and that the regime ceases its destabilizing activities in the region and beyond.
Thank you!