On Tehran visit, Brazil backs Iran nuclear fuel swap

Brazil’s foreign minister, on a visit to Tehran, said Tuesday that he hopes an Iran nuclear fuel swap deal could be revived to end ambiguities about Iran’s nuclear intentions.

“Iran should have nuclear activities for peaceful purposes …," Celso Amorim said at a press conference Tuesday. “There is no political consensus that Iran has to be isolated or for Brazil to move in that direction.”

The visit by Mr. Amorim, which paves the way for a state visit by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva next month, comes as the US is pushing for a new round of United Nations sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program.

Brazil has resisted US pressure to back sanctions, including during a trip to Brazil by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month. And as a temporary member of the UN Security Council with growing economic and political ties to Iran, Brazil may be keen to see what kind of deals can be worked out with the Islamic Republic.

Amorim's words in Tehran also belie President Lula's desire for Brazil to maximize its new clout on the world stage, refusing to choose sides or bow to pressure from traditional powers.

Brazil argues that isolating Tehran is likely to backfire by prompting Iran to cease any semblance of cooperation with the West.

But many analysts say that the Latin American giant's position of support for Iran might be the one to backfire by straining its relationship with the US.

“[President] Lula has made a big effort to be more relevant in the international arena. His position has to be understood in that framework,” says Roberto Izurieta, a Latin America expert at George Washington University in Washington. “But Brazil has more to lose than to gain. The majority of Brazilians don’t care, and the few that care want Brazil out of trouble.”

Brazil's rise

Lula’s two terms have coincided with Brazil’s rise, with oil finds that could turn it into a major oil exporter and a healthy economy fueled by booming domestic demand.

Lula has taken a leadership role in the so-called “south-south” dialogue among the world's developing nations.

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