Washington: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he urged US President Donald Trump to pursue dialogue with Iran and handed him a copy of a 2010 nuclear agreement brokered by Brazil and Turkey, as the two leaders concluded a closed-door White House meeting focused on trade, tariffs and global conflicts.
Speaking later at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington on Thursday, Lula said he told Trump that “dialogue” was more effective than war and warned that military escalation with Iran could deepen instability.
“I believe much more in dialogue than in war,” Lula said. “I think the invasion of Iran will cause more damage than he imagines.”
Lula said he personally gave Trump the 2010 agreement that Brazil and Turkey negotiated with Iran over its nuclear programme.
“For the second time, I presented him with the agreement that Brazil and Turkey brokered in 2010 regarding the Iranian nuclear issue,” he said. “We managed to convince Iran to accept a revised agreement regarding the non-production of nuclear weapons.”
He said the deal was later undermined by Western powers.
“Regrettably, when we finalised that agreement, I do not know why Obama and the European Union — and the rest of the world — decided to ramp up the pressure on Iran,” Lula said. “Possibly because the parties who had brokered the deal were ‘Third World’ nations.”
Lula said Trump promised to review the document.
“I handed it to him. He said, ‘I will read it tonight’,” Lula told reporters.
The Brazilian leader also criticised global powers for failing to reform the United Nations Security Council and argued that countries such as Brazil, India, Germany, Japan and South Africa deserved larger roles in global governance.
“It is the geopolitics of 2026, not the geopolitics of 1945,” he said.
The White House meeting itself took place without the traditional Oval Office press appearance. Lula said he deliberately avoided speaking to reporters beforehand.
“When I arrived here, I stated that I would not speak to the press before the meeting took place,” he said. “It makes no sense for me to come here for a meeting, only to hold a press conference before we have even had our discussion.”
Trump later posted on Truth Social that the meeting “went very well” and said both sides discussed “Trade and, specifically, Tariffs”.
Lula said the two countries agreed to create working groups to resolve trade disputes within 30 days. He expressed optimism that tensions over tariffs and investigations into Brazilian trade practices could be resolved.
“I am very optimistic,” he said. “We have interest in the United States investing in Brazil again.”
The Brazilian president also invited American participation in Brazil’s critical minerals sector, including rare earth projects, but stressed that Brazil would not become merely a raw material exporter.
“What we do not want is to be mere exporters,” Lula said.
On Cuba, Lula said Trump indicated he had “no intention of invading Cuba”, which Lula described as “a great sign”.
“Cuba wants dialogue and Cuba wants to find a solution to put an end to the blockade,” he said.
The meeting came amid strains in US-Brazil relations over tariffs, technology regulation and differing positions on Iran and global conflicts. The Trump administration has signalled possible new tariffs on Brazilian goods under a Section 301 investigation.
Despite ideological differences and past tensions, both leaders signalled interest in stabilising ties between Latin America’s largest economy and the United States. Lula repeatedly described the talks as positive and said the two leaders had developed “chemistry” during recent meetings.
“I think our relationship is very good,” he said. “Who will decide the Brazilian election is the Brazilian people.”
(IANS)
