Brazil's President Slams Trump's 20% Hormuz Tariff: 'That's Piracy!'

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has launched a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 20 per cent tariff on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking in Sao Paulo on Monday, Lula stated, ‘Dulu, itu disebut pembajakan,’ which translates to ‘In the past, that was called piracy.’ He added that a great nation like the United States, which has historically fought against piracy, cannot now become a pirate itself.

Trump had earlier declared on his Truth Social platform the reinstatement of an ‘Iran Blockade’ and threatened the tariff on cargo transiting the strategic waterway in exchange for US military protection. ‘Hormuz is OPEN and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,’ Trump stated, adding that the US would be known as the ‘Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz’ and would collect a 20 per cent fee on cargo value to cover security costs.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by mocking Trump’s declaration. He reiterated Tehran’s longstanding claim that it is the central guarantor of security in the Strait of Hormuz. ‘POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever guarantees safe and secure passage for commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz deserves a reward for that service,’ Araghchi said on social media, before asserting that Iran has always been and will forever remain the guardian of the strait. He added that a 20 per cent tariff was ‘too high’ and that Iran would be ‘fair’.