Cuba has reportedly spent recent years stockpiling more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and has discussed striking U.S. targets if relations continue to deteriorate, as President Donald Trump blockades the island and flirts with plans to "take" it over.
Intelligence Reports and Drone Acquisition
U.S. intelligence sources told Axios that while they do not believe any threat is imminent, the acquisition effort has ramped up in the last month, as Cuba has sought to learn how Iran has used its large drone program to repel U.S. forces in the ongoing war. Military advisers from Tehran have been in Havana recently, the officials said. The Independent has requested comment from the CIA and the Cuban government.
Tense US-Cuba Relations
The reported build-up comes amid some of the most tense U.S.-Cuba relations in decades. Trump has spoken openly about how the U.S. might "take" Cuba next as part of its widening military campaign in the region, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and began controlling Venezuela's oil sector.
Maduro's capture set off a chain of events putting Cuba's economy into even more dire straits after decades of being cut off by the U.S. from large parts of the global market. The same month that American operatives ousted Maduro in Venezuela — Cuba's key oil patron — Trump declared a national emergency relating to Cuba and threatened tariffs on nations that sent oil to the island. The move choked off supplies from Mexico, another of Cuba's key economic allies. As a result, the island's economy and larger political system is teetering, prompting mass blackouts and street protests.
CIA Director's Talks
CIA Director John Ratcliffe held high-level talks with Cuban officials on the island on Thursday. He was there "to personally deliver President Donald Trump's message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes," a CIA official told the Associated Press. The talks come as the U.S. has continued to ratchet up pressure on Cuban leaders.
Additional Pressures
The Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to seek an indictment against former president Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 downing of four aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Observers also believe Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sending a warning shot earlier this month when he posed in front of a map of Cuba while shaking hands with U.S. Southern Command's Gen. Francis Donovan, who is responsible for the sector that includes Cuba.
Despite Trump's campaign promises to limit foreign military entanglements, the administration has pursued the most expansionist foreign policy in recent memory, including threats to take over Canada and Greenland, controversial military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, and igniting the conflict with Iran.
