Cuba's President Accuses US of 'Domination Ambitions' as Tensions Escalate

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the United States on Friday of "domination ambitions" over the island, amid escalating tensions that have pushed Washington-Havana relations to one of their worst points in decades. Díaz-Canel stated on social media that the U.S. government "makes clear it does not renounce its domination ambitions over Cuba," adding that Cubans achieved "true independence" on January 1, 1959 and are determined to defend it. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also rejected "any threat" from U.S. ambitions, warning that Cuba's coasts contain sharp karst rocks, called "diente de perro," inhospitable to those arriving with hostile intentions. The statements follow President Donald Trump's Friday remarks that U.S. ships will "pass by" Cuba after the war in Iran, with one stopping about 50 yards from shore, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will "close the deal." The comments come amid Florida election campaigning, an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue planes, and U.S. "maximum pressure" measures including an oil blockade imposed in January.