Brazil’s popular President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva went to Tehran hoping he could convince Iran to change its nuclear policies - and he had a victory - Iran agreed to send some uranium to Turkey for a year. But as soon as he got home to Brazil, the Iranian government said they would continue to enrich uranium regardless of the deal brokered with Turkey. It caught the President’s administration by surprise and has now opened a floodgate of criticism against him.
The deal brokered with Turkey was dismissed by Washington as a stalling tactic and might have damaged the new country’s ties to the U.S. What could have been one of Mr. da Silva’s crowning achievements as president of a country ascending on the global stage was being characterized as a misstep that could dent the legacy of the popular president. Worse still, it could bring added scrutiny and repercussions for Brazil’s own nuclear ambitions.
Courting Iran on a worldwide stage has not played well at home. Many have called him naïve and overconfident. One Brazilian newspaper said that the Brazilian soccer jersey given to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was “covered in blood.”
The deal brokered with Turkey was dismissed by Washington as a stalling tactic and might have damaged the new country’s ties to the U.S. What could have been one of Mr. da Silva’s crowning achievements as president of a country ascending on the global stage was being characterized as a misstep that could dent the legacy of the popular president. Worse still, it could bring added scrutiny and repercussions for Brazil’s own nuclear ambitions.
Courting Iran on a worldwide stage has not played well at home. Many have called him naïve and overconfident. One Brazilian newspaper said that the Brazilian soccer jersey given to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was “covered in blood.”
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