Published on: 2026-07-14
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Rio de Janeiro, July 14 /Xinhua/ — The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Monday criticized the proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 percent fee on all cargo passing through the strait, calling it “piracy.”
L. I. Lula da Silva made this statement during a visit to the laboratory of the Maua Technology Institute in the state of São Paulo in connection with posts and a television interview previously published by D. Trump on social networks, in which the American leader stated that his country would act as a “guardian” of the strait and charge fees for security services amounting to 20 percent.
“In the old days, this was called piracy,” said the President of Brazil, noting that the United States, as a country that has long fought piracy, should not become a pirate state itself.
He described the initiative to impose fees for maritime transit as undemocratic and uncivilized, adding that “it is abnormal when someone exploits a tragedy to make money” at the expense of others.
L. I. Lula da Silva sharply criticized the broader economic consequences of the conflict for countries not involved in it, emphasizing how global tensions lead to rising prices of goods in local markets. “The price of war affects our beans, rice, and tomatoes,” said the President of Brazil.
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