Washington: Amid rising global tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva handed US President Donald Trump a copy of the historic 2010 nuclear agreement signed between Brazil, Turkey and Iran. The development comes at a time when relations between the United States and Iran have once again entered a tense phase.
Speaking to reporters after the White House meeting, Lula da Silva said the world needs dialogue, not war. He urged Trump to prioritise diplomacy and negotiations instead of confrontation with Iran.
Lula explained that the 2010 agreement proposed that Iran would send its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for nuclear fuel for a research reactor. At the time, the initiative was seen as a major diplomatic effort aimed at reducing tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions in West Asia.
The Brazilian President also stated that the agreement did not receive the level of international support it deserved. According to him, had global powers taken the initiative more seriously, the present situation could have been different.
Sources said Trump accepted the document handed over by Lula and remarked that he would study it. However, the White House has not issued any official statement on the matter so far.
The nearly three-hour-long meeting also included discussions on trade, global security, tariffs and international crime. Analysts believe Lula’s move is being viewed as an attempt to reopen the path of dialogue between Washington and Tehran.