RIO DE JANEIRO, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized US President Donald Trump's statement that they would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and collect a 20 percent toll, calling it "piracy".
On Monday, Lula made evaluations about Trump's latest social media posts and television statements. Trump stated that they would "protect" the Bosphorus and charge 20 percent additional fees to cargo for security reasons.
"In the past, this was called piracy," said Lula, adding that the United States, a country that has been fighting against piracy for a long time, should not turn into a pirate state itself.
Noting that he found charging fees for sea transit passages neither democratic nor civilized, Lula said that "turning a disaster into an opportunity and making money by disregarding others is not normal at all."
Lula also reacted harshly to the far-reaching economic effects of the US-led conflict on countries unrelated to the incident. Pointing out that global tensions increased local commodity prices, Lula said, "The cost of the war is reflected in the beans, rice and tomatoes on our table."