The Trump administration revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States, a move that deepens a diplomatic dispute between the two nations over the pending appointment of the U.S. ambassador to Brazil.

A senior State Department official said the action was reciprocal because Brazil has not approved President Donald Trump’s nominee, former Florida House speaker Daniel Perez, as ambassador to Brasília. The official said the United States regrets the situation but maintains that reciprocity guides its actions. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office said the U.S. justification was false, noting that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations requires prior notification and consent from the receiving government before a new ambassador is appointed. The United States announced the nomination before Brazil had granted consent, and while the Senate approved Perez in a hearing last month, the full Senate has not yet voted on the nomination.

Brazil previously denied visas to two senior State Department officials who had planned to assess the fairness of Brazil’s electoral system. The Brazilian statement said the U.S. officials intended to “cast doubt on the integrity of Brazil’s electoral process,” which it described as an unacceptable attempt to interfere in the country’s political affairs. The statement also said the United States had imposed sanctions and revoked visas of Brazilian court and senior officials based on what it called unfounded allegations that former president Jair Bolsonaro was subject to political persecution. Brazilian officials characterized the visa cancellation as a deliberate escalation driven by ideological motives, which they said conflict with a partnership built on mutual respect. A second State Department official, speaking without attribution, questioned the confrontational approach and noted that Lula’s standing in polls appears to rise each time Brazil resists Trump’s overtures. Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Brazil’s first female ambassador to the United States, has served as a career diplomat and previously represented Brazil at the United Nations and in Germany. The State Department official said the ambassador’s visa could be restored if Brazil agrees to approve the U.S. nominee.

The visa revocation remains in effect pending a resolution, and the two countries have not indicated a timeline for restoring diplomatic relations.