Rubio Calls Cuba A ‘National Security Threat’ As US Indicts Raúl Castro

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the island nation, Cuba poses a “national security threat” and the likelihood of a peaceful agreement is “not high”.

This comes a day after the US indicted Cuba’s former President Raúl Castro, on a murder charge over the 1996 downing of two planes resulting in the killing of US nationals.

Rubio said Washington prefers “a diplomatic solution” but warned that President Donald Trump has a right and duty to protect his country against threats.

In response, Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Rubio of “lies” and said the island has never posed a threat.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Rubio said diplomacy “remains our preference with Cuba”, but added “I’m just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we’re dealing with right now, is not high.”

He also accused Cuba of being “one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region”, which Rodríguez vehemently denied in a post on X.

Rodríguez criticises Rubio for trying to instigate a military aggression" and accused the US government of "ruthlessly and systematically" attacking his country. Furthermore, he said that the United States has been complicit in the “organisation and execution of terrorist actions against Cuba from its own territory”.

Currently Cuba is suffering from a fuel crisis worsened by an effective US oil blockade, while facing pressure from the Trump administration to cut a deal.

Its citizens are suffering from extended blackouts and food shortages over the last few months. Protesters took to the streets after blackouts lasting up to twenty-two hours. Minister Vicente de la O Levy said the island had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil.

The Trump administration has been exerting pressure with intent to topple the communist regime since January, reminiscent of Trump’s seizure of the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier.

Asked about the state’s plan to get Castro to the US and face charges, Rubio replied: "I'm not going to talk about how we're going to get him here, if we were trying to get him here, why would I say to the media what our plans are about that?"

The pressure campaign in recent months, is furthered by Washington sanctioning several entities and individuals connected with Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), the military-run conglomerate that allegedly controls between 40 per cent and 70 per cent of the Cuban economy, as the New York Times reported.

GAESA was ideated by Raul, initially as a means to finance the military, but now it controls multiple sectors of the Cuban economy. Rubio called it a tool of Cuba’s political elite.

Rubio also announced on X that the US had arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of one of the top officials of a Cuban military-run conglomerate, living in Florida and " aiding Havana's communist regime". She was arrested by immigration enforcement and will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said Cuba was a “failed country” and his administration was only trying to help them on humanitarian grounds.

"Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years doing something and it looks like I'll be the one that does it, so I would be happy to do it," Trump said, as per BBC.