China and Russia on Tuesday vetoed a UN resolution encouraging states to coordinate efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the measure biased against Iran, while Washington's ambassador to the world body called on "responsible nations" to join the US in securing the waterway.
The 15-member Security Council voted 11 in favour of the resolution, with two against - China and Russia - and two abstentions.
US President Donald Trump threatened that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" as Iran showed no sign of accepting his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening, Washington time.
Oil prices have surged since the US and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, unleashing a conflict that has run for more than five weeks while Tehran has largely closed the strait that was previously the route for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
"The draft resolution has not been adopted, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of the Council," Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said.
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