Rubio calls Cuba a national security threat

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sharply criticized Cuba's leadership, labeling the government as run by "incompetent communists" and posing a national security threat to the United States. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Rubio did not specify whether the U.S. was considering military action but stated that a "failed state" just 90 miles off the U.S. coast is a danger.

The heightened rhetoric follows recent actions by the Trump administration, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and a U.S. arrest warrant issued for former Cuban President Raúl Castro. These events have fueled concerns about potential U.S. intervention and extradition.

Cuba is currently grappling with its most severe economic crisis since the 1959 socialist revolution. Decades of U.S. sanctions, compounded by the cessation of Venezuelan oil shipments after a U.S. intervention in Venezuela in early 2026, have led to widespread blackouts and dwindling reserves. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla has appealed to the international community for assistance, warning of an impending "humanitarian catastrophe."