Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned Washington on that any US military assault on the country would trigger a “bloodbath with incalculable consequences,” a day after the Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on some Cuban officials and entities.
With reports suggesting that Havana is also weighing strikes on American targets after Trump has repeatedly said that he is interested in taking over Cuba , referring to it as an “honor” and suggesting he can “do anything I want with it”. These statements are backed by escalating economic and military pressure targeting the island.
The warning came hours after the United States sanctioned 11 Cuban officials and three government bodies , including the island’s main intelligence agency and interior ministry, in what Secretary of State Marco Rubio said was the opening round of a sustained pressure campaign. “Additional sanctions actions can be expected in the following days and weeks,” Rubio said.
Díaz-Canel, while asserting that Cuba “poses no threat” to any country, said Havana held “the absolute and legitimate right to defend itself against a military assault.”
Bilateral relations have deteriorated sharply under President Donald Trump’s second term, which has pursued what officials describe as a “maximum pressure” strategy aimed at forcing regime change in Havana. Trump cut off oil shipments from Venezuela, a critical lifeline for the island ,after the U.S. took control of Venezuelan oil production following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Subsequent attempts to secure oil from other suppliers have also been blocked. Its oil blockade has plunged Cuba into a humanitarian crisis, sparking nationwide blackouts that have prompted rare protests, closing schools and universities and leaving hospitals battling to treat patients.
Cuba’s already strained power grid has buckled under the pressure, with the country’s energy minister saying last week that a last-minute Russian oil donation had run dry, leaving Cubans facing prolonged blackouts. Even major shipping firms Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM announced on Sunday of halting cargo to and from Cuba to comply with new US rules that would trigger food shortages on the island.
Tensions have been further stoked by intelligence assessments. Axios reported Sunday that U.S. officials believed Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and was discussing potential strikes against the American naval base at Guantánamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida. Officials indicated the intelligence could be used as a pretext for American military action.
Trump has done little to dispel the prospect. Speaking to reporters in March, he said Venezuela was “just the first step” and suggested Cuba could follow. “Taking Cuba — I mean, whether I free it, take it — I think I could do anything I want with it,” he told reporters. He told Fox News: “It’s a failed nation. It’s a totally failed nation. I think they’re going to have to come to us.”
Meanwhile, Former Cuban president Raúl Castro could face indictment over his alleged involvement in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based volunteer group Brothers to the Rescue, an incident that killed three Americans and severely damaged US-Cuba relations.
Trump declined to discuss the potential case on Friday, saying he would leave it to the Justice Department.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez pushed back sharply, writing on X that Washington was “building, day after day, a fraudulent case to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and eventual military aggression.”
“Those who seek to illegitimately attack Cuba,” he wrote, “resort to any pretext, no matter how deceitful and ridiculous.”
