Ted Cruz urges Biden to rethink US-Brazil ties after Iran ship docs

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US Senator Ted Cruz stated that the Biden administration needs to reevaluate the United States' ties to Brazil in 'antiterrorism' efforts, and should instead impose the necessary sanctions on Brazil after it allowed Iranian warships to dock in the country. 

Two Iranian warships docked in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, despite pressure from the United States on Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to block them.

Cruz said on Tuesday that allowing Iranian warships to dock in Brazil "is a dangerous development and a direct threat to the safety and security of Americans." 

“The Biden administration is obligated to impose relevant sanctions, reevaluate Brazil’s cooperation with US antiterrorism efforts, and reexamine whether Brazil is maintaining effective antiterrorism measures at its ports.”
 
The Senator suggested that Congress should force Biden to take action and address the situation if he doesn't. He added that the Iranian warships that docked in Brazil were already sanctioned, opening the port, companies involved with the port, and other entities that provided services or accept payments to sanctions.

Reports indicated that the pair of Iranian warships, IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena, were initially declined to port in Rio de Janeiro in late January as the Brazilian president was then due to meet with Biden. However, under the Lula government, tables turned and Brazil is attempting to bolster its standing with Iranian officials, despite repeated calls from US officials to tow the same anti-Iranian lines as the US and its allies. 

Moreover, US Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley earlier urged Brazilian authorities against allowing the ships to dock as they allegedly "facilitated illegal trade and terrorist activities."

Iranian presence in Pacific Ocean 

Earlier in January, the United States closely monitored Iran's activity in the Panama Canal after Tehran said its navy would station vessels in the waterway earlier the same month, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told the Washington Free Beacon on January 27th.

Washington is monitoring "Iran's attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere," Price said.

This comes after documents published by the Brazilian Navy earlier in the week said that two Iranian warships, including one equipped with "anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval cannons," were granted permission to dock in Brazil.

The commander of Iran's navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said earlier in January that Iranian forces would establish a presence in the Panama Canal later this year, marking the first time Iran's military has reached the Pacific Ocean.