Senator and pre-candidate for the presidency of the Republic Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) released this Saturday (28) a note in which he repudiates what he called “indirect support” from Lula’s federal government to Tehran and a “morally wrong” position. After the attacks, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the attacks and calling for restraint.
For the right-wing leader, the Lula government’s position is “unacceptable” and places the country on the “wrong side” of the conflict. “Iran is not a neutral actor. (…) It is a government that finances and supports terrorist organizations, publicly shouts ‘death to America’, that openly advocates ‘wiping Israel off the map’ and that maintains a nuclear program notoriously for military purposes.”
The note ends by asking for “clarity” in diplomacy, saying that “neutrality is not synonymous with complacency”.
Gleisi: Flávio “didn’t learn anything”
The Chief Minister of Institutional Relations, who condemned the American attack, said that Flávio “didn’t learn anything” from what she called “national repudiation of his family’s betrayal of Brazil.”
For Gleisi, Flávio’s support for the USA would be yet another reason not to vote for the right. “Brazil would be on its knees if President @Lulaoficial hadn’t won in 2022.” she wrote on X.
Read Flávio’s note in full:
The Lula government’s position in the face of the Iranian regime’s actions is unacceptable. By adopting a stance of political support for Tehran at this time, Brazil places itself on the wrong side of a serious conflict and ignores the objective nature of the regime it is defending.
Iran is not a neutral actor on the international stage. This is a government that finances and supports terrorist organizations, that publicly shouts “death to America”, that openly advocates “wiping Israel off the map” and that maintains a nuclear program notoriously for military purposes. Internally, it represses its population with systematic violence, especially against women, and thousands of deaths. These are public facts and reiterated over the years, repudiated by almost all countries in the region.
Brazil does not need to meddle in regional conflicts, nor take a leading role in disputes that do not belong to us. What we cannot do is choose the morally wrong alignment, legitimizing a regime that promotes instability and threatens partner countries of our own strategic interest.
I record my solidarity with the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Brazil’s partner countries, and any others that have been cowardly attacked by the Iranian dictatorship. These are nations with which Brazil maintains relevant commercial relations and growing institutional dialogue.
Responsible foreign policy requires prudence and clarity. Neutrality is not synonymous with complacency, and containment cannot mean indirect support for regimes that promote terror, destabilization and suffering.
