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The Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla posted a message on X this Sunday in which he accused the United States government of creating "a fraudulent file to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and the eventual military aggression," without ever mentioning the report published that same day regarding Cuban military drones.
The direct trigger for the message was a report from Axios based on classified intelligence that claims Cuba has acquired over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, stored in strategic locations across the island.
According to the report, Cuban officials allegedly discussed the possible use of those drones against the Guantanamo Naval Base, U.S. military vessels, and areas near Key West, Florida, which is located about 145 kilometers from Havana.
Rodríguez, however, chose not to address the report directly and focused his message on a generic accusation against Washington and the media.
"Specific media outlets are playing along, promoting slander and leaking insinuations from the U.S. government itself," wrote the chancellor.
The regime also warned that Cuba "is preparing to confront external aggression in exercising the right to legitimate defense recognized by the UN Charter."
The omission is striking because the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, did respond directly to the Axios report, accusing the U.S. of intensifying a campaign to manufacture a pretext for military aggression against Cuba.
Intelligence sources cited by Axios clarified that Washington does not consider a Cuban attack imminent, although the report indicates that in the past month, Cuban officials have requested more drones and military equipment from Russia.
Cuban-American congress members such as María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Carlos Giménez reacted to the report warning about the threat from the Cuban regime 90 miles from Florida.
Rodríguez's message is set against a backdrop of sustained escalating tensions between Havana and Washington that intensified in early May.
On May 1, Donald Trump signed an executive order that expanded sanctions against Cuba and declared the country an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security, also stating that the U.S. could "take control of Cuba almost immediately."
On May 12, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated before Congress that Cuba is a "threat to the national security" of the U.S.
On May 8, Rodríguez warned that a U.S. attack could lead to a "humanitarian disaster" and "bloodbath" resulting in the loss of Cuban and American lives. On May 14, he requested support from the BRICS in light of what he described as a threat of direct military aggression.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration is said to have imposed more than 240 sanctions against Cuba and intercepted at least seven tankers bound for the island.
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