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Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that any military aggression by the United States against Cuba "will provoke a bloodbath with incalculable consequences," and described Washington's threats as "an international crime" even before they materialize.
“Threats already constitute an international crime. If realized, it will lead to a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, along with the destructive impact on regional peace and stability,” published Díaz-Canel this Monday on X.
The message from the Cuban leader comes a day after the portal Axios published an exclusive based on U.S. classified intelligence, which claims that Cuba has allegedly acquired over 300 military drones.
Allegedly, the drones originate from Russia and Iran since 2023, and Cuban officials have reportedly discussed their possible use against the Guantanamo Naval Base, U.S. military ships, and potentially Key West, Florida.
Cuba does not represent a threat, nor does it have aggressive plans or intentions against any country. It has none against the United States, nor has it ever had any, which the government of that nation is well aware of, especially its defense and national security agencies," wrote Díaz-Canel.
The ruler also stated that Cuba "has the absolute and legitimate right to defend itself from a military onslaught", and rejected the idea that such an argument could be used "logically or honestly as an excuse to impose a war against the noble Cuban people."
The phrase "bath of blood" is not new in the official Cuban discourse during this crisis. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla had already used it on May 8 when warning about the consequences of a U.S. military action.
On Sunday, the Cuban Foreign Ministry also posted on X: "If Cuba is attacked, it will exercise its right to legitimate defense," while the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated that "the U.S. is the aggressor country."
The escalation has direct precedents in recent weeks. On May 7, officials from the Trump administration told AP that the military option against Cuba was "on the table," although no imminent action was prepared.
On May 13, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated before Congress that Cuba represents a threat to the national security of the United States, and the Republican Senate blocked a Democratic initiative for the second time to limit Trump's war powers regarding the island.
On May 1, Trump had signed an executive order expanding sanctions against the regime in the energy, defense, mining, and financial services sectors.
The Cuban regime, for its part, declared 2026 as the "Year of Preparation for Defense," and the MINFAR conducts weekly civil military exercises with AK-47 rifles, drones, and anti-tank mines, under slogans such as “for Cuba, there is no alternative, victory or death”.
In parallel to the war rhetoric, a discreet negotiation has been taking place for over two months between Washington and Havana, which included a visit from the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, to Havana, and an offer of 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid — food, medicine, and satellite internet via Starlink — conditional on being distributed by the Catholic Church and independent organizations, not by the Cuban state.
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