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A replica of the Iranian drone Shahed-136 was displayed this Wednesday at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Miami, during an event organized by the bipartisan group United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) to raise awareness about intelligence reports indicating that the Cuban regime may have acquired more than 300 drones of this type from Russia and Iran since 2023.
The event brought together former Florida governor Jeb Bush, president of UANI; Republican congressman Carlos Giménez; and Ambassador Mark Wallace, executive director of the organization, who agreed in presenting the alleged military cooperation between Havana and Tehran as a risk to the security of the United States.
"Miami, Florida, is within the range of Iranian drones cooperating with the Cuban regime," Wallace stated during the presentation.
The former ambassador stated that the alliance between the two countries is not recent and emphasized that Iran's growing presence in Cuba must also be analyzed in light of its proximity to U.S. strategic installations in the Caribbean.
Carlos Giménez was even more explicit in describing the capabilities of the Shahed-136.
"They have a range of about 2,500 kilometers, which means they can reach as far as New York from Cuba," he stated in front of the displayed aircraft.
The lawmaker classified the drone as an attack weapon and stated that, if the intelligence reports are correct, the situation is serious.
"If Cuba has 300 of these aircraft, it undoubtedly poses a threat to the United States," he said in statements reported by Local 10 News.
Later, he reinforced that message on his social media.
"The dictatorship is a real threat with these drones from Iran that it keeps just 90 miles from our shores!" he posted on X.
Jeb Bush also expressed his concern and reminded that the same drone model has been used by Russia in the war against Ukraine.
"The reports about 300 drones in Cuba are a risk that should concern us. We have the capacity to protect our homeland, but Cuba continues to pose a threat to our country, and Iran is its ally," he stated.
The origin of the alert
The concern expressed by UANI is supported by a report published by Axios in May, based on U.S. intelligence information, which indicates that Cuban officials allegedly discussed plans to use Shahed-136 drones against targets such as the Guantanamo Naval Base, U.S. military vessels, and even Key West.
The Cuban regime neither confirmed nor denied the alleged acquisition of those drones. In response to the publication, it stated that Cuba has the sovereign right to equip itself with the necessary means for its defense.
The revelation led to intense diplomatic and military activity. On May 14, the director of the CIA made an unannounced visit to Havana to meet with high-ranking Cuban officials. Two weeks later, the head of the U.S. Southern Command held a meeting with Cuban military officials near the Guantanamo Naval Base, an unusual contact between both parties.
A less alarming perspective
Not all attendees shared the same level of concern.
The political analyst Andy Gómez from Local 10 News believed that the existence of these drones deserves attention, although he deemed it unlikely that Cuba would use them directly against U.S. territory.
"I'm not too worried about Cuba launching a drone against the United States, because what would come next for them would be chaos," he stated.
Gómez also ruled out a military intervention as a solution and advocated for maintaining political and diplomatic pressure on Havana.
During the event, he also stated that he perceives signs of a possible internal deterioration of the regime.
"All the signs I'm beginning to see from inside Cuba indicate that there could be an implosion from within," he stated.
The analyst also recalled a recent statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that "with or without drones, a failed state 90 miles south of the United States poses a threat to national security."
The exhibition of the Shahed-136 took place just three days before the fifth anniversary of the July 11, 2021 protests, a date that several of the participants noted as particularly significant for monitoring the evolution of the political situation in Cuba.
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