Israel has criticised Brazil’s decision to give permission for two Iranian warships to berth in Rio de Janeiro, urging President Lula da Silva’s government to reverse their decision.
The docking has also received vilification from the United States, describing it as “a direct threat to the safety and security of Americans.”
The ships are part of the Iranian navy which works with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fleet, which is a designated terror entity by the United States.
Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, called the Brazilian berth for the warships “a dangerous and regretful development,”
“It is still not too late to order the ships to leave the port,” Haiat said in a strongly worded statement.
In speaking out about the docking of the Iranian ships on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said, “Brazil should not grant any prize to a malign state, responsible for numerous violations of Human Rights against its own citizens, executing terror attacks all over the world and proliferating weaponry to terrorist organizations all over the Middle East.
“The Iranian regime has executed dozens of terror attacks against ships, putting in danger the maritime freedom of navigation. Two of the attacks occurred in recent weeks,” it said.
“This is the time to follow the steps taken by the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries, and single out the Iranian regime as what it really is: A terror entity.”
The Biden administration had specifically issued sanctions against the ships, and their geographical location places them just one continent away from the US shores.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday that the Biden administration wanted to make sure that the “IRGC – that Iran more broadly is not able to acquire a foothold, is not able to take advantage of others in this hemisphere.”
“It is certainly not the case that the Brazilian Government or the Brazilian people would want to do anything that would in turn assist, that would aid a government, a regime that is responsible for a brutal crackdown and violent repression against its own people,” Price said.
On Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz called for sanctions against the South American country after the docking, dubbing it “a direct threat to the safety and security of Americans.”
“The Biden administration is obligated to impose relevant sanctions, re-evaluate Brazil’s cooperation with U.S. antiterrorism efforts, and re-examine whether Brazil is maintaining effective antiterrorism measures at its ports,” Republican Cruz said in a statement.
It was reported earlier this month that Brazil had bowed to US pressure and declined Iran’s request for the vessels to dock in Rio in late January, in a gesture from Lula as he flew to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden.
However, with Lula’s trip over, the ships have been allowed to dock. Vice Admiral Carlos Eduardo Horta Arentz, the deputy chief of Brazil’s Naval Staff, gave his approval for the ships to dock in Rio between February 26 and March 4, according to a February 23 notice in the official gazette.
The Brazilian Navy authorizes a foreign vessel to dock in Brazil, but only after authorization from the foreign ministry, which takes into account the requesting embassy’s petition and logistics.
The presence of the Iranian warships on Brazilian shores continues to irk the United States as it seeks to build closer ties with Lula’s administration.
In a 15 February press conference, US Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley urged Brazil not to allow the ships to dock.
“In the past, those ships facilitated illegal trade and terrorist activities, and have also been sanctioned by the United States. Brazil is a sovereign nation, but we firmly believe those ships should not dock anywhere,” she said.
Diplomacy with Iran was one of the highlights of Lula’s attempts to bolster Brazil’s international standing during his previous presidential terms. He traveled to Tehran to meet then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2010 as he sought to broker a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.
This year, we want to do more to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
We know that as we bless Israel this year, God will bless us, just as He promised in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now is the time to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
