Trump proposes transit fee in Hormuz, Brazilian President calls it ‘piracy’

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has strongly criticized US President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20 percent transit fee. He labeled the initiative as "piracy".

Lula made the comments on Monday, local time, during a visit to the laboratory of the Mauá Institute of Technology in the state of São Paulo.

Earlier, Trump claimed that the United States would act as the guardian of the strait and collect a 20 percent cargo surcharge to cover military expenses.

Condemning the proposal, Lula stated that it is undemocratic and uncivilized. He added that profiting from someone else's tragedy or disaster to make money at the expense of others is despicable.

Lula warned that rising shipping costs and regional tensions are increasing global inflation. This is causing prices of essential commodities such as rice, lentils, tomatoes, and fuel oil to rise in Brazil. To combat the rise in oil prices, the Brazilian government has taken steps to reduce local fuel costs by temporarily imposing a 12 percent tax on its own crude oil exports.

Sources: Al Jazeera and MITV.