Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Iranian Warships in Brazil

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement today after two Iranian warships were allowed by Brazil to dock at a port in Rio de Janeiro:

“The docking of Iranian warships in Brazil is a dangerous development and a direct threat to the safety and security of Americans. The United States has sanctions and antiterrorism laws designed exactly to deter and respond to these threats. These Iranian warships are already sanctioned, and so the port in Rio de Janeiro where they docked is now at risk of crippling sanctions, as are any Brazilian companies that provided them services or accepted payments – and so are all foreign companies that entangle themselves with the port or those Brazilian companies in the future. President Biden calls Brazilian President da Silva his friend and said he was honored to host him at the White House, and da Silva himself is a Chavista aligned against the United States and our interests, so either these risks were not conveyed or the Brazilians did not care. Nevertheless, our anti-terrorism laws are designed to protect Americans and are not optional. The Biden administration is obligated to impose relevant sanctions, reevaluate Brazil’s cooperation with U.S. antiterrorism efforts, and reexamine whether Brazil is maintaining effective antiterrorism measures at its ports. If the administration does not, Congress should force them to do so.”

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