The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has described as "piracy" the proposal by his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to impose a 20% tax in exchange for guaranteeing the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The idea arises amid escalating tensions with Iran, despite the ceasefire agreed in April and the memorandum of understanding sealed in June.
"President Trump tweeted that he will unblock the Strait of Hormuz. But for every unblocked ship that is removed from the strait, the oil owner must pay him 20%. This used to be considered piracy," Lula said during an event in Sao Caetano do Sul, in the state of Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian leader insisted that "an important state like the United States, which fought piracy for a long time, should not now become a pirate," and stressed that the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is "Washington's responsibility" for its joint offensive with Israel against Iran.
In this regard, he recalled that before the outbreak of the conflict "the strait was not closed." "It was not Brazil that invented the war with Iran. Did Brazil fire shots? No. Did Brazil kill anyone? No. It was he who invented that war," Lula indicated, directly blaming the occupant of the White House.
The president also accused the United States of "lying" by claiming that Iran intended to acquire nuclear weapons, and compared these arguments with those used by Washington to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, when it accused Saddam Hussein's regime of possessing weapons of mass destruction.
"It is very delicate to see that the United States provokes a war and now begins to charge ships that are going to cross the strait for the security it offers. That is not common, it is not normal, it is not democratic or civilized. It is something abnormal for someone to take advantage of misfortune to make money at the expense of misfortune," he added, denouncing the attempt to profit from instability in the area.
Lula also warned that "the price of war" is already being felt in the Brazilian economy, with increases in the prices of basic goods, largely due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategic maritime corridors for global trade and exports.
Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz "open" on Monday and announced that Washington will impose a 20% tax on all cargo passing through this passage, justifying that the United States will act as the "guardian" of the route. The decision came after Tehran announced the closure of the strait on Sunday in response to the latest US attacks against the country, which it considers a violation of the pre-agreement of June.
In reaction to the announcement, the Iranian Army stated that Tehran will not allow the United States to "interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz," while Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, mocked Trump's proposal. "Iran has always been the guardian of the strait and will continue to be so forever. 20% is, of course, too much. We will be fair," he concluded.