Iran diplomat warns Brazil over 2 stranded ships

Iran’s ambassador says Tehran will reconsider imports from Brazil if it continues to refuse to refuel two Iranian vessels stranded there.

Seyed Ali Saqqayian is quoted by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency as saying that Iran could easily find new suppliers of corn, soybeans and meat.

He says he “told the Brazilians that they should solve the issue.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry hasn’t commented on the issue of the two Iranian vessels, one reportedly loaded with corn, stranded at a Brazilian port due to lack of fuel. Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras says the ships, Bavand and Termeh, are on a list of US sanctions.

Iran is one of the largest grain importers from Brazil and the complication with the ships raises Brazilian concerns about the broader impact on trade with the Islamic Republic.

— AP