A group of 16 countries, including Iran, Russia and China, are reportedly pushing to create a coalition at the United Nations to counter the use or threat of force and unilateral sanctions by the West.

The coalition, known as �Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations,� also includes Syria, Palestine, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba as member states.

Other founding members of the group are Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Laos, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Viewed by Reuters, a concept note for the group described as �unprecedented� attacks against multilateralism and said the imposition of coercive measures and withdrawal from global agreements were signs of growing unilateralism.