by Jamil Chade
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday, during the COP31 Climate Conference in Türkiye. It was their first interaction since the outbreak of the armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran began.
The meeting is highly symbolic, especially given the ongoing inability to reach an agreement that would bring the war to an end. It also serves to highlight Lula’s capacity to maintain relations not only with major Western powers but also with Tehran.
In an official statement, the Brazilian government noted that “the two leaders discussed conflicts in the Middle East, specifically the war involving Iran.”
“In this regard, President Pezeshkian provided an update on peace negotiations with the United States, highlighting mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan,” read the statement.
“Recalling Brazil’s role in negotiating the 2010 Tehran Declaration, President Lula encouraged the pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while also affirming the right to the peaceful, civilian use of nuclear energy,” the statement read. “Expressing concern over the war’s impact on global fuel and food prices, President Lula also advocated for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
During the meeting, Lula signaled that he is disregarding U.S. sanctions against Iran and intends to expand trade.
“Both also discussed the diversification and expansion of bilateral trade, which totaled 3 billion dollars in 2025. President Lula indicated that Brazil is interested in increasing its imports of fertilizers from Iran,” the statement explained.
In his speech at the opening of COP31, Lula criticized the decision by certain governments to engage in wars, while setting aside the climate issue.
In April of this year, Lula criticized the U.S. war against Iran, going so far as to say that the arguments used by Trump were “lies.”
“The United States of North America took it upon itself to wage an unnecessary war in Iran, claiming that Iran possessed nuclear weapons or was attempting to develop them. It is a lie,” he said.
“I say it is a lie because, in 2010, I went to Iran to reach an agreement. We did reach an agreement. One that was subsequently rejected by both the U.S. and the European Union. We crafted an arrangement that would have allowed Iran to enrich uranium using the same methods as Brazil, since our own Constitution mandates that such activities be used exclusively for peaceful purposes,” the president said in Fortaleza, during a live interview with TV Cidade.
In September, at the UN General Assembly, Lula once again criticized Trump over the war.
“Threatening civilizations with extinction will not bring stability to the Middle East,” he said. “The Strait of Hormuz has been turned into a trench of war, when it should remain a vital passage for international trade. Families all over the world are paying the price through rising costs for fuel, fertilizers, and food.”
On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his speech at COP31 to call for compensation for environmental damage caused by attacks by the U.S. and Israel. He said that the issue is linked to global efforts to combat climate change.
“We expect the global community to establish a genuine and meaningful connection between climate commitments in peacetime and accountability in wartime,” he said. “One that documents and assesses the environmental damage caused by military aggression and develops mechanisms for compensation.”
This article was originally published by ICL Noticias. It was translated by Panamerican Dispatch. You can read the original, in Portuguese, here.
