Exclusive-Under U.S. pressure, Lula delays Brazil docking of Iran warships -sources

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a breakfast with journalists at Planalto Palace in Brasilia January 12, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil bowed to U.S. pressure and declined an Iranian request for two of its warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro at a time when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was planning his trip to Washington to meet U.S. leader Joe Biden, sources said.

Brazil's decision represents a gesture for closer ties with the Biden administration after U.S.-Brazil relations soured under Lula's far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. The move came despite Lula's longstanding opposition to U.S. sanctions on Tehran, advocating for a neutral foreign policy.