RIO DE JANEIRO, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and levy a 20 percent transit fee, calling it "piracy."
Lula made the remarks during a visit to laboratory facilities at the Maua Institute of Technology in Sao Paulo State, responding to Trump's earlier social media posts and television interviews, where the U.S. leader claimed that the country would act as the strait's "guardian" and demand a 20 percent cargo surcharge for security.
"In the old days, this was called piracy," Lula said, noting that the United States, a nation that has long combated piracy, should not turn into a pirate state itself.
The Brazilian president described the initiative to charge fees on maritime transit as neither democratic nor civilized, adding that it is "abnormal for someone to take advantage of a tragedy to make money" at the expense of others.
Lula strongly criticized the broader economic impacts of the U.S.-led conflict on uninvolved nations, emphasizing how global tensions drive up local commodity prices. "The price of the war is reaching our beans, rice, and tomatoes," he said. ■
