how Lula helps Iran

The diplomatic silence of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) regarding a ballistic missile attack that Iran launched against Israel on Tuesday (1st) follows a historical pattern of actions by the PT member to support the fundamentalist dictatorship in Tehran.

In its current term, the Lula government abstained from voting on UN resolutions critical of Iran, addressed in a mild tone a massive bombing carried out by Tehran against Israel in April, and even authorized the entry into Brazil of Iranian warships – which it was considered by geopolitical analysts a subtle provocation to United States naval hegemony.

But the supportive relationship cultivated by Lula with the ayatollah regime is not new. In 2009, he already tried to position himself as an intermediary in the largest international agreement to try to control Iran’s nuclear development, the JPCOA (acronym in English for Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

The president, then in his second term, tried to forge an agreement favorable to Iran, which would ease international sanctions and allow the country to continue developing a nuclear program. But the diplomatic action ended up frustrated by the United States.

At that time, Lula tried to take advantage of the prestige of impartiality that had been cultivated for decades by Brazilian diplomacy to try to obtain personal promotion, according to analysts.

According to professor Elton Gomes, of Political Sciences at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), historically Brazil has not favorably placed itself on any side in conflicts and disagreements between nations, always facing the issue from a pragmatic point of view. This traditional approach, explains Gomes, should prevent the country from having unconditional allies or declared enemies.

However, in his third term, Lula has taken sides in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, who are financed by Iran.

“The brazen hostility of the Brazilian government against Israel and its cynical relativization of terrorism financed by Iran reflect the adherence of Lulopetismo to the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’, under the command of those dictatorial regimes that seek to rewrite the liberal rules of the international system”, said the political scientist Paulo Kramer, professor at the University of Brasília (UnB).

Iran is a country that pursues a regional imperialist agenda and disputes leadership of the Islamic world with Saudi Arabia, according to analysts. The country is also accused of committing a series of crimes against human rights, especially with regard to women.

Furthermore, the country is also accused of supporting and financing terrorist groups, such as Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. In the context of the conflict in the Middle East, analysts also point out that Tehran uses Hamas “by proxy” to intensify the conflict against Israel.

Itamaraty remains silent about Iranian attacks on Israel

Lula has made heavy criticisms against Israel, especially in recent days. This week he said that the country “only knows how to kill” and the previous week he accused Israel of acting out of revenge and committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Previously, he had compared Israel’s war on terrorism to the actions of the Nazis in the Holocaust.

Also this Tuesday, Brazilian diplomats spoke out about Israel’s land offensive in Lebanon, but did not comment on the large-scale bombing carried out on the same day by Iran against Israel with ballistic missiles. “Brazil urges Israel to immediately halt ground incursions and air strikes on densely populated civilian areas in that country [Líbano]”, says a note from Itamaraty.

The statement referred to the entry of Israeli forces into Lebanese territory to combat Hezbollah terrorists.

Itamaraty had already adopted a soft tone towards Iran in recent months. On April 13, Iran launched an attack with around 300 drones and missiles against Israel, but the Israeli air defense system intercepted 99% of the missiles and drones. In a statement, Itamaraty stated that it followed the Iranian attacks “with grave concern.” In other words, a much milder tone was used than that adopted in relation to Israel’s military actions.

The Brazilian position was considered insufficient by Israeli diplomacy and generated negative repercussions for Brazil. The stance was compared to a note released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs days earlier, when it “condemned” a bombing carried out on the Iranian consulate in Syria, which was much harsher in words.

Chancellor Mauro Vieira was asked about the note classified as “mild” and stated that the text had been written at the beginning of the attacks, during the night, when Itamaraty still did not know the real extent. The minister also highlighted that Brazil “condemns any act of violence”, but that a new position would not be announced.

The silence about the attacks this Tuesday (1) – which Israel claims to have intercepted most of with its air defense system – once again reflects Lula’s alignment with the Iranian theocracy.

Brazil abstained from voting at the UN against human rights violations in Iran

In November 2022, the UN voted to begin investigating Iran’s human rights abuses following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing the Islamic veil incorrectly in a public place. The student died in jail after suffering mistreatment and this triggered a national wave of protests that were repressed with more violence against the population by the ayatollahs’ regime.

Brazil abstained from voting for the investigation when the topic was debated at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2022 and also in 2024 when the body proposed extending the investigations. The resolution was approved with a majority of votes. In its justification for not supporting the determination, Brazil claimed that Iran has cooperated with the investigations since they began.

“On the understanding that Iran will strengthen efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country and based on the spirit of constructive dialogue, Brazil will abstain. We encourage Iran to continue increasing its engagement with human rights mechanisms in a spirit of cooperation and openness”, declared Tovar da Silva Nunes, Brazil’s ambassador to the UN at the time

Alckmin traveled to the inauguration of the Iranian president

Brazil was one of the countries that attended the inauguration ceremony of the elected president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. At the end of July this year, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin was sent to Iran to represent the Brazilian government.

Hamas leaders also participated in the event, as well as representatives from other countries. According to the Iranian press, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and Enrique Mora, representative of the European Union, also attended the inauguration. India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mali, Egypt and Qatar also send representatives.

In the country, Alckmin also participated in a dinner offered by Pezeshkian to authorities present at his inauguration. The new leader took command of Iran after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, who suffered a helicopter crash in May.

Lula allowed Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro

Analysts also assess that Brazil sent a “wrong message” to the world by allowing Iranian ships to dock on the country’s coast in February 2023. The vessels were anchored in the port of Rio de Janeiro for six days and generated diplomatic noise between Brazil and United States.

The helicopter carrier IRIS Makran and the frigate IRIS Dena, belonging to the Iranian navy, were authorized by the Brazilian navy to dock in Brazil.

Days before the vessels arrived in Brazil, the American ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley, asked the Brazilian government not to allow the ships to remain.

“These ships have, in the past, facilitated illicit trade and terrorist activities. Brazil is a sovereign country, but we strongly believe that these ships should not dock anywhere,” Bagley said. Despite this, authorization came through an order in the Official Gazette of the Union.

Iran approaches partnership with Brazil in the Brics

Brazil was in favor of Iran joining the BRICS bloc (acronym for the bloc formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in 2023. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia also entered.

The Brics emerged as an informal bloc in 2009 because they brought together economies that had similarities. But in 2023 the group became political in nature, being organized by China to diplomatically confront the United States. This has been occurring based on a discourse disguised as “anti-imperialism”, according to Paulo Kramer.

The Brics also bring together countries that have been classified as the “Axis of Resistance” to Western democracies, including Russia, China and Iran.

Under the justification of maintaining good relationships with all countries, Iran has been the focus of Lula’s attention. The rapprochement is reflected in trade relations: Iran was the country from which Brazil imported the most in the Middle East, the trade flow between the two nations reached US$2.3 billion in 2023. Trade is one of the justifications used by management PT member to maintain dialogue with the country.

Lula worked in a “lobby” between Iran and the West in the past

Lula’s nods to Iran, however, are not recent and the PT member has tried to act alongside the theocracy in the past. The Brazilian president’s clearest attempt to pro-Iran was when the Brazilian government, during Lula’s second term, tried to forge a “friendly” agreement between the country and the West over the country’s nuclear program.

In mid-2009, the UN Security Council was about to approve a series of sanctions against Iran aimed at stopping it from enriching uranium. The measure would be adopted due to fears that the country intended to produce an atomic bomb.

Although Tehran always denied the accusations and stated that its nuclear program had civilian purposes, the negotiations did not go ahead. Lula then tried to intervene in the negotiations to avoid further sanctions on the Iranian partner and Brazil formulated, together with Turkey, the Tehran Agreement in 2010. The idea was for Iran to send uranium to be enriched abroad and then returned to Tehran use in energy generation, in exchange for relief from international sanctions. The initiative, however, was not accepted by the United States.

At the time, the Brazilian government’s rapprochement with the Iranian theocracy was observed with caution by North American diplomacy. This concern was revealed in conversations between diplomats across the United States that were exposed by Wikileaks, a non-profit platform that publishes confidential and confidential documents from government bodies.

“For now, the Iranian-Brazilian love affair doesn’t go much beyond rhetoric, but Washington sees a growing need to keep Lula’s foreign policy adventurism in check, especially when it comes to Brazil forging nuclear and banking ties with the Iran”, says one of the American diplomatic documents dated 2010.

Still in 2010, when Brazil held a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the fourth round of international sanctions against Iran was voted on because of its nuclear program. Brazil, together with Türkiye, was against new sanctions on the country.

The two countries were looking for an amicable solution to Iran’s dispute with the West and were against a new round of embargoes on Tehran. At the time, Celso Amorim, then Brazilian chancellor, declared that the sanctions were a “tantrum” from the West.