Cuba Accuses Marco Rubio of Leading US Pressure Campaign

By Staff, Agencies

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of playing a central role in Washington’s pressure campaign against Cuba, including military threats and a tightened energy blockade on the island.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Rodriguez said Rubio helped tighten US sanctions on Cuba across all areas, including fuel restrictions, and stressed that Cuba poses no threat to the US.

Tensions have risen in recent months after the US imposed duties on countries supplying oil to Cuba and declared a national emergency, claims Havana rejects as part of an effort to tighten an energy embargo and pressure the island’s economy.

Earlier this month, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that US military pressure had reached “unprecedented” levels and said any aggression would be met with firm defense of Cuba’s sovereignty and independence.

Meanwhile, the US Justice Department recently indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro and five military officers over the 1996 downing of two aircraft linked to Brothers to the Rescue, a move Cuba called a political provocation, saying it acted in self-defense after repeated airspace violations.

Since Trump’s return to office in 2025, the US has intensified a “maximum pressure” campaign on Cuba, expanding sanctions, tariffs on oil suppliers, and restrictions targeting Cuba’s energy and military sectors, which Havana calls economic warfare that has deepened a severe island-wide energy crisis.