The administration of Donald Trump has moved to revoke the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the US, sources in the State Department told media outlets on Tuesday.

Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti's visa revocation was reportedly in response to the denial of visas to two American diplomats who sought to visit Brazil ahead of upcoming elections.

The US has also accused the Brazilian government of stalling Trump's ambassadorial choice to the South American country.

Brazil rejected Washington's decision, describing it as an escalation and saying it crystalized the US's interest in interfering in the country's upcoming presidential election.

"Today's decision is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, motivated by ideological reasons," the office of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement.

What do we know so far about the visa revocation?

State Department officials reportedly said the decision could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump's ambassadorial choice.

The Associated Press cited one State Department official as saying on condition of anonymity that despite the revocation of her visa, Viotti is not being expelled from the US.

"The action was that the ​visa of a senior diplomat here was revoked or canceled. That is not the same thing as kicking the person out of ​the country. It means that they are here but without a visa, and would have their ​visa restored if ‌the balance is restored by giving agreement to our chosen ambassadorial nominee," a State Department official was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

Despite the move, the State Department official reportedly stressed Washington's valuing of the relationship with Brazil and its respect for the Brazilian people in whatever government they choose through free and fair elections in Brazil.

"We want to be back in a situation where we have a normal, productive, transparent relationship with our colleagues," the official said.

Why is the US revoking the Brazilian ambassador's visa?

Last month, Brazil announced denying visas to officials from the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. It said their planned visit aimed to undermine Brazil's electoral system ahead of the October elections.

The State Department denied the allegations, saying the pair had planned to visit Brasilia in late July to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about "election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression." 

Before that incident, Brazil for weeks withheld the formal approval for the ambassadorship of Daniel Perez, a Florida state representative and close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Perez was nominated by Trump on June 1.

"Basically we've had a situation in which our diplomats were being denied the ability to do routine common work between the two countries, and so you know under these ​circumstances, with the long delay and no ⁠promise of ending the impasse of the agreement, we've taken reciprocal action with respect to a Brazilian diplomat here to make the point ⁠that it can't always be one-sided," Reuters quoted the unnamed State Department official as saying.

Tensions between the Trump and Lula administrations

The incident is the latest in diplomatic tensions between the Trump administration and that of Brazil's leftist President Lula.

Trump is a staunch supporter of Lula's right-wing predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup following his 2022 election loss to Lula.

Like Trump with his election loss to Joe Biden in 2020, Bolsonaro had also falsely claimed widespread election fraud.

His son Flavio Bolsonaro is the right-wing presidential candidate in the October vote. Brazil denied the US officials' visa as Flavio Bolsonaro renewed unfounded claims that the country's electronic voting system is insecure.

Edited by: Rana Taha

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