U.S. State Department dissatisfied with Iranian warships' visit to Rio de Janeiro

The arrival to Rio de Janeiro of the Iranian warships that Brazil’s government authorized to dock has prompted rebukes from the United States.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price commented on the permission granted to two Iranian warships by the Brazilian Government to dock in Rio de Janeiro.

"We want to continue to work with our Brazilian partners to send the right message to Iran, to others who would pose a threat, pose a challenge to our collective interests around the world. We believe, as we’ve said, that warships like this have no place in the Western Hemisphere, given the signal it sends," he said, adding that countries are still going to make their own decisions.

According to Price, Washington is discussing the issue with Brazilian partners and that it wants to ensure Iran “is not able to acquire a foothold, is not able to take advantage of others in our hemisphere.”

“It is certainly not the case that the Brazilian government, the Brazilian people would want to do anything that would assist, that would aid a government, a regime that is responsible for a brutal crackdown and violent repression against its own people,” he said.