Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this Thursday of having "lied for two consecutive days" about Cuba and described Washington's sanctions policy as a "collective punishment" against the island's population.
"The U.S. Secretary of State has been lying about #Cuba for two consecutive days again. It's a habit he can't shake off," Rodríguez wrote on his X account.
The head of Cuban diplomacy assured that these statements aim to "justify a cruel and ruthless aggression against the Cuban people that admits no political or moral excuse."
The response arrived on the same day that Washington announced a new round of sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the Cuban regime, including Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, the grandson of Raúl Castro.
The measures also affected the Banco Exterior de Cuba and four state entities linked to the energy and mining sectors: Comercial CUPET S.A., ABAPET, NICAROTEC, and CEXNI.
Rubio defended the new measures, accusing the ruling elite of becoming wealthier while the Cuban population faces a deep crisis.
"The elites of the Cuban communist regime preside over a failed state where ordinary Cubans suffer from hunger while the Castro family and other associates enrich themselves through sanction evasion and other illicit schemes," stated the Secretary of State.
Rubio added that both he and President Donald Trump remain "unyielding" in their commitment that "Cuba will be free".
Rodríguez responded by raising the intensity of his accusations against Washington.
"Collective punishment is a crime. It is to inflict suffering on an entire population with coldly calculated measures to induce a humanitarian crisis. Enough with the abuse. End the blockade and allow Cuba to live in peace," he wrote.
The exchange prolongs the public confrontation that both officials have maintained since Wednesday. On that day, Rubio rejected the notion that the United States is enforcing a formal oil blockade against Cuba, attributed the prolonged blackouts to the regime's management, and accused Cuban officials of profiting from the sale of Venezuelan oil.
Rodríguez, for his part, stated during an interview on the Cuba Analysis podcast that U.S. measures are hindering the arrival of fuel and goods to the island. Among other claims, he asserted that more than 7,000 containers with food, medicines, and other products are stuck in ports in the region due to pressures on shipping companies.
He also stated that greater fuel availability would help reduce power outages and questioned the 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid announced by Rubio, claiming that its impact within Cuba has been limited so far.
The new sanctions are part of the tightening of Washington's policy towards Havana during Trump's second term. Since January 2026, the United States has amassed more than 240 designations related to Cuba.
The strategy was summarized by Rubio in August when he described the pressure on the Cuban regime: "Every time they create a new mechanism to try to escape the noose, we simply tighten it."
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