Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the U.S. of creating a “fraudulent case” to back its economic sanctions and potential military intervention on the island.
Rodriguez’s allegations come after an Axios report, citing classified intelligence, alleged that the communist-led nation acquired over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran.
"Cuba neither threatens nor desires war," Rodriguez said in a post on social media, adding that the island "prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense recognized by the UN Charter."
According to Axios, the Cuban government reportedly began discussing plans to use the drones to attack the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and Key West, Florida.
"Without any legitimate excuse whatsoever, the US government builds, day after day, a fraudulent case to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and the eventual military aggression," Rodríguez wrote. "Specific media outlets play along, promoting slander and leaking insinuations from the US government itself."
Pretext for Another U.S. Military Campaign
A senior U.S. official who spoke with the publication affirmed that the intelligence solidifies the Trump administration’s view of the Caribbean island as a threat, citing developments in a drone arsenal and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Cuba.
"When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it's concerning," the official told the publication.
"It's a growing threat,” the official asserted.
As the Trump administration continues to apply pressure on Cuba, the intelligence report could finally become a pretext for yet another U.S. military campaign.
According to the New York Times, U.S. surveillance flights around the island have ramped up, with a planned buildup of U.S. forces in the region coming soon.
Reaction from South Florida Lawmakers
“IRANIAN DRONES COULD BE IN CUBA!” Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.) wrote on X.
“Iranian drones, particularly the widely used Shahed-136 suicide drone, typically boast ranges of 1,000–2,500 km (620–1,550 miles) with payloads of 30–50 kg (66–110 lbs) of explosives," he added. "These low-cost, long-range systems often use satellite navigation, fly at lower speeds (approx 185 km/h or 115 mph) to evade radar, and are used for kamikaze strikes or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.”
