US senator calls Lula a “chavista” and asks for sanctions for Brazil allowing the docking of Iranian ships

US Senator Ted Cruz, of the Texas Republican Party, published a statement this Tuesday (28) to criticize the docking of two Iranian warships in Brazil and ask the United States to apply sanctions against the country due to the authorization.

“The docking of Iranian warships in Brazil is a dangerous fact and a direct threat to the security of Americans. The United States has sanctions and anti-terrorism laws that are designed precisely to deter and respond to these threats,” wrote Cruz, who is a member of the US Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation and Foreign Affairs committees.

“These Iranian warships are already sanctioned and, therefore, the port of Rio de Janeiro where they docked now runs the risk of being
[sofrer] crippling sanctions, as well as any Brazilian companies that provided services to them or accepted payments – and also all foreign companies that have involvement with the port or these Brazilian companies in the future”, added the senator.

In the statement, Cruz said that the American president, Joe Biden, calls his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), “a friend and said that he had the honor of receiving him at the White House”.

The senator stated that Lula “is a Chavista aligned against the United States and our interests, so either these risks were not communicated or Brazilians did not care [com eles]”.

Cruz ended the note demanding that Biden “impose relevant sanctions, reassess Brazil’s cooperation with US anti-terrorism efforts, and re-examine whether Brazil is adopting effective anti-terrorism measures in its ports.” “If the government [americano] fails to do so, Congress must force him to do so,” said the senator.

The Brazilian Navy authorized the docking of two Iranian warships in the port of Rio de Janeiro between Sunday (26th) and next Saturday (4th). The visit was scheduled for the end of January, but the Brazilian government postponed permission to dock days before the meeting between Biden and Lula in Washington, on the 10th. .

Before the authorization, the US ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley, even made an appeal for the authorization for the anchorage of ships from Iran to not exist.

“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,” she said.