Portrait of President Lula (Frater Velado, 2002CE)

As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil heads to Tehran this weekend to make what many Western diplomats consider a last-ditch attempt at persuading Iran to temper its nuclear ambitions, officials in Washington have expressed concern that the effort could backfire, helping the Islamic republic to block — or at least delay — the United States and its allies from imposing sanctions. Mr. da Silva is scheduled to discuss the issue on Sunday with his Iranian counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the trip comes at a delicate diplomatic moment. After months of negotiations, American officials said Thursday that the United States was close to securing the support of the United Nations Security Council for a resolution to impose sanctions against Iran.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned that Mr. Ahmadinejad might use his talks with Brazil to stall for time in order to move Iran closer to developing a nuclear weapon. “We will not get any serious response out of the Iranians until after the Security Council acts,” she said Friday.

Brazil opposes sanctions as ineffective and likely to intensify the conflict. As a developing country that has defended its own nuclear aspirations against international pressure, Brazil strongly identifies with Iran. Find out more at http://nyti.ms/culGAd

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