Havana, Cuba. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the United States on Sunday of fabricating what he called a “fraudulent case” to justify economic sanctions and potential military intervention. His comments followed a report by Axios citing classified intelligence that said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones.
Rodriguez response
“Cuba neither threatens nor desires war,” Rodriguez said in a post on social media, adding the country “prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense recognized by the UN Charter.” Rodriguez did not explicitly mention the drone allegations in his statement.
Axios report and U.S. official comments
The Axios report alleged that Havana had discussed plans to use the drones to attack the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and Key West, Florida. A senior U.S. official told the publication the intelligence, which could become a pretext for U.S. military action, shows the degree to which the Trump administration sees Cuba as a threat because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana.
Verification and broader tensions
Reuters said it could not immediately verify the Axios report. Tensions between the two nations are rising.
Possible indictment of Raul Castro
U.S. Department of Justice sources told Reuters last week they planned to indict former Cuban leader Raul Castro on charges related to Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue. The sources said an indictment of the 94-year-old would mark a major escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Cuba, as the administration has described the island’s communist-run government as corrupt and incompetent while pushing for change.
What impact could the latest allegations and legal moves have on U.S.-Cuba relations?