Cuba Policy: Trump Sets 50 Yard Naval Line and Rubio Pitches CIA Deal
The administration revives a plan for US warships to stop near the Cuban coast while inviting islanders to seek a secret partnership with the CIA.
By Alessia Romano ·
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have intensified pressure on Havana, combining a revived naval stopover plan with a call for a secret intelligence alliance.
Trump described the naval maneuver at a Friday rally in south Florida, where he told voters that American warships returning from the Iran war would make a brief halt near the island. He specified that one vessel would stop approximately 50 yards off the coast, allowing crew members to raise their hands before Rubio would be sent in to finalize a deal. The president first suggested this idea earlier this year but had kept it quiet for months before reintroducing it in response to a question from the crowd.
Rubio amplified the message in a social media post addressed to Cubans seeking positive change. He cited failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lifestyles of a few as reasons for action. He urged them to seize the opportunity to create the change they want through a discrete partnership with the CIA. Rubio, whose parents left Cuba before the socialist revolution, used the word discrete in a context that likely intended the meaning of discreet, or private.
Havana responded with mockery on Friday. Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio wrote on X that the United States was resorting to public recruitment for the CIA. He added that the agency must be experiencing a great deal of desperation to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.
The rhetoric marks a shift after several weeks of silence from Rubio on the issue. In a September 29 interview on Fox News, he stated that Cuba had already fallen, describing a country without a functional economy. He expressed hope that the island would choose a different path but did not mention any CIA operation at that time. Trump and Rubio have both sounded aggressive on Cuba, with Trump previously suggesting the country would be next for intervention after the Iran war winds down.
Diplomatic efforts have been uneven. Rubio and other senior aides met Cuban officials in recent months to explore better relations, but the US side came away unimpressed and imposed more sanctions. In his speech to the UN general assembly last month, Trump said Rubio was deep into negotiations with Cuba. Days later, he told reporters he expected the two countries to make a deal and did not think military action would be needed. Earlier this week, the two governments clashed at the UN as Washington sought to build opposition to an upcoming annual vote condemning the US economic embargo.
Cuba has been in an economic and energy crisis since 2020. Its gross domestic product has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have faced blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. Waves of protests have occurred, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans have emigrated, many to the United States.
