Israel Urges Brazil To Undock Iranian Warships Under US Sanctions

The Israeli government has urged Brazil to send away two Iranian warships that docked in Rio de Janeiro on February 26, calling the development “dangerous and regretful.”

“This is the time to follow the steps taken by the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries, and single out the Iranian regime as what it really is: A terror entity,” Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel's Foreign Ministry, tweeted on March 2.

"It is still not too late to order the ships to leave the port," he added.

US ally Israel and the Islamic Republic have been locked in a Cold War-style conflict for decades, which has included mutual accusations of maritime sabotage, as Tehran faces intensified international pressure over its nuclear program and regional conduct.

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This is the time to follow the steps taken by the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries, and single out the Iranian regime as what it really is: A terror entity.

It is still not too late to order the ships to leave the port.

— Lior Haiat 🇮🇱 (@LiorHaiat) March 2, 2023

A February 23 notice in a Brazilian gazette said the Iranian-made Mowj-class destroyer Dena and the logistics ship Makran, a converted oil tanker, had been given permission to dock between February 26 and March 4.

Brazil had initially given permission for Dena and Makran to make a port visit in January, but that was delayed after US pressure.

“In the past, those ships facilitated illegal trade and terrorist activities, and have also been sanctioned by the United States. Brazil is a sovereign nation, but we firmly believe those ships should not dock anywhere,” US Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Bagley said last month.

On February 3, the US Treasury targeted Dena and Makran as Iranian property for sanctions related to a wider effort to punish the Iranian lethal drone industry.

The Treasury said in a statement that Makran could launch lethal drones and included Dena under the sanctions since it was part of the same surface action group.

Before the Rio port call, the pair made a port call in Jakarta, Indonesia.