Brazil applies nuclear ban to Iran

Brazil banned the sale of nuclear equipment and technology to Iran. Brazil said Thursday it was applying a U.N. Security Council ban handed down in December, intended to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability. The decision is significant not just because of Brazil’s leading role in peaceful nuclear development, but because it’s a sign that the country’s leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is aligning himself solidly with the West on this matter.