The US State Department has invited more than 60 countries to a ministerial meeting in Washington on 16 July to discuss what the Trump administration describes as the “resurgence of transnational left-wing terrorism.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio will chair the gathering, which includes nations from the Americas, Europe and Asia. The invitation to Brazil, extended to Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, arrives in the same week that bilateral relations were strained by a US decision to classify two Brazilian criminal factions as terrorist organisations and by Vieira’s subsequent warning of a possible US military intervention on Brazilian soil.

According to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, the event addresses “an old threat that is resurging with strong transnational links and new convergences.” A White House official, quoted by The Washington Post, said counterterrorism powers would not be used against American citizens who merely disagree with the government. However, current and former US officials told the newspaper that some inside the administration have discussed applying foreign terrorist designations to domestic anti-fascist groups such as Antifa, which could unlock surveillance tools. The meeting is seen by analysts in Washington as part of a broader effort to build an international coalition against what President Donald Trump’s team frames as a coordinated left-wing extremist network, reminiscent of Cold War-era Comintern.

Brazilian diplomatic sources confirmed receipt of the invitation but said Vieira’s attendance is not yet confirmed; he is also scheduled to receive Canada’s foreign minister that week. The invitation follows a sharp exchange: after the US designated the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist groups, Vieira stated in a parliamentary reply that the move could open the door to US military action in Brazil, a remark the State Department called “absurd” and said could “aid and abet” terrorist groups. Argentina, by contrast, has confirmed that Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno will attend. Argentine officials described the meeting as one on “left-wing political terrorism.” A retired US Army colonel and security expert, Alex Crowther, told Clarín that the Trump administration “is afraid of the left and wants to fight it in every possible way,” and that the summit aims to foster intelligence-sharing among allies, though he cautioned that such cooperation should not be used to repress domestic left-wing parties.

The Washington meeting runs parallel to a separate US-led push in the Americas. At the 17th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in Cusco, Peru, this week, Pentagon official Elbridge Colby said Washington would use its influence to clamp down on soaring crime, and the resulting Cusco Declaration pledged joint action against transnational organised crime, terrorism and illicit economies. The US has already designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organisation in 2025. The 16 July gathering is expected to produce a joint statement or framework for cooperation, though the precise agenda remains undisclosed. With Brazil’s participation still uncertain, the meeting will test the durability of US-led security diplomacy in a region where some governments are wary of Washington’s framing of domestic political movements as security threats.