German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is traveling to New York on Monday to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting likely to focus on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
As he departed, Wadephul called on council members to live up to their responsibilities in addressing the Iran conflict.
“If the Security Council takes responsibility now, it will also strengthen the international order,” he said.
He added that the UN must become “the central hub of current crisis diplomacy,” while lamenting that “time and again, far too often, individual parties with their conflicting interests block the UN Security Council.”
China and Russia, as permanent members of the council with veto power, often block initiatives aimed at resolving conflicts.
The minister is expected to deliver a speech during a debate on maritime security, which will likely address efforts to resume oil and gas trade through the strategic waterway, a flashpoint in the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Wadephul, who will be in New York for two days, will also attend the review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which begins on Monday.
The conference comes at a sensitive time, as the United States and Israel have partly justified their attacks on Iran by citing concerns over its nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s nuclear programme has long been a source of tension between Washington and Tehran.
The two sides had been engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear capabilities before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on February 28.
The Iranian government has consistently denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons, insisting its programme is for civilian purposes.
Wadephul is also scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and other senior UN officials as Germany seeks support for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.
