Overview
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Guantánamo naval base on Wednesday and warned Cuba it would be “imprudent” to acquire weapons that could reach the base or U.S. territory, saying the Pentagon will provide the president with all options.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel told a published interview this week that he believes Washington is pursuing three possible paths toward Cuba: economic suffocation to provoke unrest, coercive economic control, or military aggression.
- Cuban officials and reporters say the island is in an acute energy crisis linked to a U.S. petroleum squeeze and sanctions, with prolonged blackouts, disrupted hospital services, collapsed public transport and an early end to the school year.
- Recent U.S. media reports that Cuba bought about 300 military drones are disputed by Havana and lack independent verification, leaving the claim unconfirmed as a driver of current military warnings.
- The U.N. and UNESCO have urged the U.S. to lift recent measures because they say sanctions disproportionately harm vulnerable people and education, and analysts warn that the new military signaling could raise the risk of further escalation.