Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cubans to partner with American intelligence, while Donald Trump suggested Navy ships could stop near the island.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cubans on Friday to partner with the CIA and help remove the island’s communist government. Al Jazeera reported that Rubio posted the appeal on X, writing: “To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time.”
Instructions from American intelligence
In his post, Rubio pointed to failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of a small ruling elite in Cuba. He encouraged civilians to seize the moment and pursue change through a discreet partnership with the intelligence agency. Shortly after Rubio published his message, the Central Intelligence Agency reposted it alongside a similar appeal written in Spanish, according to CBS News.
The agency also released a video detailing the steps needed to contact American intelligence. In the instructions, the agency told people who believe they hold valuable information to visit an official United States embassy in person if they can travel to one safely.
Trump rally comments in Florida
President Donald Trump reinforced the administration’s stance during a South Florida campaign rally on Friday. Linking regional policy to American deployments in the Middle East, Trump said that “we’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran.”
Trump was referring to American Navy warships stationed near the Strait of Hormuz. He told rally attendees that the ships would pass Cuba, with one stopping roughly 50 yards off the coast to force the government to surrender. Trump added that he would then send Rubio in to complete the arrangement. Senior American officials and Trump have openly suggested military intervention and a permanent military presence in Cuba for months to increase pressure on Havana.
Havana’s response to Washington
Cuban officials quickly rejected the comments from Washington. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla responded Friday on X, stating that Cuba rejects all threats growing out of American ambitions toward the country. He noted that while Cuba’s coast has beautiful beaches, the shores are rugged and inhospitable to anyone arriving with hostile intentions and a desire to dominate.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked the intelligence agency’s recruitment campaign on X. He wrote that the United States had resorted to public recruitment for the CIA, suggesting that misery or desperation within the agency had forced it to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste. Fernandez de Cossio had previously rejected threats of intervention during an appearance last month on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program, where he said an American military strike against a peaceful neighbor would be an atrocious international crime.
Sanctions and economic strain
The recruiting effort follows a series of economic measures that have deepened hardship across Cuba. Earlier this year, Washington imposed an oil blockade that left the country dealing with severe fuel shortages, blackouts, and crumbling infrastructure. United Nations human rights experts have condemned that blockade as a violation of international law, while rights advocates have criticized the administration for relying on an imperialist approach.
American economic sanctions and an embargo in place for more than 60 years have driven up the prices of basic goods and restricted medical care on the island. Residents have reported standing in lines for hours to buy bread or visit a doctor. Last week, the United States announced additional sanctions on Cuba’s state-run bank over alleged connections to Iran. Tensions between the two countries have escalated since January, when a deadly American military raid led to the capture of Venezuelan then-President Nicolas Maduro.
