Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of spreading “lies” and attempting to manufacture a justification for aggression against the island, after Rubio claimed that Cuba poses a “national security threat” to the United States and warned that the prospects for a peaceful agreement between the two countries were “not high.”
The sharp exchange comes amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Havana following the U.S. indictment of former Cuban president Raúl Castro over the 1996 downing of two aircraft linked to the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, a move widely viewed as one of the most serious confrontations between the two countries in decades.
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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rubio said the United States still preferred diplomacy but questioned whether meaningful negotiations with Cuba’s leadership were realistically possible. He also accused Havana of being “one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region” and insisted that President Donald Trump had both the authority and responsibility to defend the United States against any perceived threat.
Rodríguez swiftly rejected Rubio’s accusations in a strongly worded response posted on X, accusing the U.S. official of deliberately attempting to inflame tensions and “instigate a military aggression” against Cuba. The Cuban foreign minister maintained that Cuba has never represented a threat to the United States and instead accused Washington of waging a prolonged campaign of economic warfare and political hostility against the Cuban people.
The diplomatic confrontation unfolds as Cuba grapples with one of its worst economic and humanitarian crises in recent history. Severe fuel shortages, rolling blackouts, food scarcity, and growing public frustration have intensified in recent months, conditions Cuban officials say have been worsened by increasingly aggressive U.S. sanctions and restrictions on oil shipments to the island.
Rubio, however, blamed the Cuban government for the worsening crisis, accusing its leaders of corruption, economic mismanagement, and enriching themselves while ordinary citizens suffer.
At the same time, speculation continues to grow over whether the Trump administration could pursue even more aggressive action toward Havana. Trump has repeatedly spoken about forcing political change in Cuba, while some observers believe the indictment of Raúl Castro mirrors the strategy used earlier this year against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose capture by U.S. forces dramatically reshaped regional politics.
When asked whether Washington intended to physically bring Castro to the United States to face prosecution, Rubio declined to discuss operational details, saying he would not publicly reveal any plans. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also fueled speculation by stating that Castro could arrive in a U.S. courtroom “by his own will or another way.”
Trump later intensified the rhetoric, describing Cuba as a “failed country” and suggesting that his administration may succeed where previous U.S. presidents had failed in confronting the island’s communist government.
