Iranian military ship Iris Makran off Rio de Janeiro's coast

Iranian military ship Iris Makran navigates off the coast of Rio de Janeiro after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government granted permission to dock in the country.

Brazil Navy command authorised the visit of two Iranian warships to the port of Rio de Janeiro starting last Sunday despite the US government protesting against the permission. The Iris Makran is a helicopter carrier measuring 228 meters long and 42 meters wide. It is Iran's largest military vessel, converted from an oil tanker.

Two Iranian warships docked in Rio de Janeiro after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government granted permission despite pressure from the United States to bar them.

The IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena warships both arrived , Rio's port authority said in a statement.

Earlier this month it was reported that Brazil had bowed to U.S. pressure and declined Iran's request for the vessels to dock in Rio in late January, in a gesture from Lula as he flew to Washington to meet U.S. President Joe Biden.

However, with Lula's trip over, the ships have been allowed to dock. Vice Admiral Carlos Eduardo Horta Arentz, the deputy chief of Brazil's Naval Staff, gave his approval for the ships to dock in Rio between Feb. 26 and March 4, according to a Feb. 23 notice in the official gazette.

The presence of the Iranian warships on Brazilian shores continues to irk the United States as it seeks to build closer ties with Lula's administration, which came into office on Jan. 1.