The Cuban regime, through the official commentator Oliver Zamora Oria, described the U.S. attack on nuclear facilities in Iran as a "serious mistake" and claimed that Tehran has no choice but to respond, in a heated editorial aired this Sunday by the Sunday News of Canal Caribe.
“Iran must respond; it has no other option. Showing weakness could be its downfall at a time when strength is being emphasized,” Zamora declared from the studio, in one of the most direct statements from the Cuban government regarding the conflict.
Zamora, correspondent for the Russian state channel Russia Today and a regular figure in the regime's internationalist propaganda, fiercely criticized the foreign policy of the United States, especially targeting President Donald Trump, whom she accused of advancing a “simplistic doctrine” based on force.
“Until now, Trump's foreign policy has been the most clumsy and boastful of all U.S. administrations in recent decades. It has achieved not a single accomplishment, not one alone,” he stated.
The reaction arises after the bombings ordered by the U.S. against three Iranian nuclear facilities, an action that Washington described as “successful”, but which is presented from Havana as a step towards the abyss.
Indirect support for a potential Iranian escalation
The commentator justified Iran's response, citing the country's parliament which suggested the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which more than one-fifth of the world's maritime oil flows.
Zamora warned that this measure, although extreme, could drive up the price of oil with terrible consequences for everyone, but made it clear that it is an option on the table.
Furthermore, he emphasized the military capabilities of Iran's allies, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, as well as the presence of nuclear powers in the region that “have taken a firm stand alongside Tehran”.
"Iran is a military power that has prepared for this moment for decades," he stated, highlighting its missile industry and the cultural-religious symbolism that nurtures a deep resistance. "In a nation where life begins after death... to lose it for one's faith is a reward," he noted.
Zamora openly questioned the statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that after the bombings “the world is now safer.”
“Seriously? What is going on with mental health in the White House? What do these people understand by security and stability?”, the spokesperson quipped, before questioning how it can be justified that, if everything is better, the U.S. military bases in the region have been put on high alert and bombings against Israel have intensified.
"Stop worrying about Iran and address the problems in this country."
But while the regime looks towards the Middle East, many Cubans demand that it come back to reality and address the daily calamities facing the island: endless blackouts, destroyed streets, uncontrolled inflation, and widespread shortages.
The comments on the news outlet's own post on YouTube reflect the public's frustration towards what many perceive as an empty discourse that strays from reality.
“Until when will Cubans be forced to hear lies and manipulated news?”, said an internet user.
"Stop worrying about Iran and the U.S. and tackle the many problems this country has. They are rich, they have money... Try to prevent your house from catching fire, because you won't be able to fix it, buddy.", commented another person.
More direct was another Cuban, who stated: “Oliver, and the consequences for us Cubans here in our Cuba, as we are living through catastrophic days with no electricity, no water, with high prices, and destroyed streets… Oliver, put yourself in the life we Cubans lead.”
Zamora's intervention is not an isolated event but rather part of a strategy by the Cuban regime to reaffirm its alliance with Iran, Russia, and other actors opposed to the West.
However, for many citizens, the cost of that alignment is an increase in international isolation, which results in more sanctions, less investment, and an increasingly suffocated economy.
In a country where access to basic necessities has become a daily struggle, hearing its leaders talk about distant wars and nuclear powers feels, for many, like a lack of respect and a disconnection from national reality.
“The Cuban ‘press’ has spent 66 years looking elsewhere, except at Cuba”, wrote another user with restrained anger.
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