US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Cuba against acquiring weapons that could threaten the United States, during a visit to the military base at Guantánamo Bay. Hegseth’s remarks come as Washington intensifies pressure on Havana through sanctions and an oil blockade.
Speaking to US troops at the base in south-eastern Cuba, Hegseth said it would be “unwise” for the Cuban government to procure weapons capable of reaching the base or the American homeland. “They would be inviting the kind of confrontation not only do they not want, but they could not stand,” he added.
The warning follows a report by US media outlet Axios that Cuba had obtained more than 300 military drones and was discussing plans to use them to attack Guantánamo, US vessels, and possibly Florida. US officials said Cuba had been acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023.
Cuba dismissed the report, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accusing the United States of baselessly plotting for its next war. Hegseth’s visit is the second to the base as Pentagon chief and comes amid a series of high-level US visits to the island, including by the CIA director and the top US general for Latin America.
Guantánamo Bay, located 430 miles south-east of Miami, houses a controversial detention facility used for prisoners captured after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Rights groups and UN experts have condemned conditions there. President Donald Trump has also sought to use the base as a holding centre for deported immigrants.
