After denying English request, Lula allows Iranian ships and is criticized

The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) authorized two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro until this Saturday (4). The decision was questioned by the United States and treated as a mistake by American diplomacy. The permission granted by the current PT administration contrasts with the previous understanding regarding English warships.

At the end of December 2010, two British ships heading to the Falkland Islands, called Malvinas by Argentina, were prohibited from making a mandatory stop in Rio de Janeiro.

The decision was based on a declaration signed on August 3, 2010 by President Lula alongside the then President of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner. The agreement prohibited support for vessels and aircraft originating from the United Kingdom and intended for the exploitation of natural assets in the Falklands, reported the Brazil Agency in season.

In the document, Brazil also committed itself to recognizing that not only did the Falklands belong to the Argentines, who lost control of the region to the British. The impasse resulted in a conflict between the two countries known as the Malvinas War in 1982, in which the Argentines were defeated.

In January 2011, the then Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, confirmed the Brazilian government’s determination not to authorize the docking of British ships. “It is standard because all the demands that are made of British planes or ships in war operations in the Malvinas, Brazil does not accept. We recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas and not England’s,” said Jobim.

Decision on Iranian ships drew criticism

Despite the criticism, the Lula government was permissive with Iranian warships. The US ambassador to the country, Elizabeth Bagley, highlighted Brazil’s sovereignty, but pointed out that Iranian ships “facilitated illicit trade and terrorist activities.” Iran is under unilateral US economic sanctions.

“These ships have in the past facilitated illicit trade and terrorist activities and have had UN sanctions. [Organização das Nações Unidas]. Brazil is a sovereign country, but we strongly believe that these ships should not dock anywhere,” Bagley told reporters on the 15th.

The US government signaled its discomfort with the Planalto’s decision. A spokesperson for the US State Department stated that the Lula government’s decision sends the “wrong” message. “Brazil is a sovereign country that can make its own decision on how to relate to Iran. So far, Brazil is the only country in our hemisphere that has accepted a request to dock,” said the spokesperson to the newspaper. The State of S. Paulo.

Senator Ted Cruz, from the Republican party, criticized the Brazilian decision and asked that sanctions be applied to the country. “The Biden administration is obligated to impose relevant sanctions, re-evaluate Brazil’s cooperation with US counter-terrorism efforts, and re-examine whether Brazil is maintaining effective counter-terrorism measures in its ports. If the government fails to do so, Congress must force them to do so,” Cruz said in a statement.

This Thursday (2), Israel criticized the docking of Iranian warships in Brazil. The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lior Haiat, said that the authorization given by the Brazilian government is “a dangerous and regrettable fact”.

“Brazil must not award any awards to an evil state, responsible for countless human rights violations against its own citizens, carrying out terrorist attacks around the world and distributing weapons to terrorist organizations across the Middle East,” wrote Haiat.

The report questioned the Brazilian Navy about the situation of the Iranian ships, but did not receive a response until the publication of the article.