Bahrain has put forward a draft United ​Nations Security Council resolution that would authorise countries to use "all necessary means" - diplomatic language for force - ‌to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to a text seen by Reuters on Monday, Reuters reported. 

Diplomats said the draft text was backed by other Gulf Arab states and the United States, although they said it was unlikely to succeed.

The move underscores mounting concern ​in the region that Iran could continue to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint that carries ​about a fifth of global oil supplies and underpins Gulf economies, according to Reuters.