Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and US President Donald Trump.
Sergei Bobylev | Nathan Howard | Reuters
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Tuesday denounced U.S. sanctions against Cuba as “immoral, illegal and criminal” and slammed long-term economic pressure on communist-ruled Cuba amid rising tensions.
In a social media post about the
Cuba’s president cited President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening third parties with tariffs on selling oil to Havana, as well as U.S. measures that impose penalties on companies seeking to invest or provide essential goods to the country.
His comments came amid growing speculation that the United States could launch a military attack on Cuba following a new wave of U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. government on Monday imposed sanctions on 11 Cuban officials and key intelligence agencies.
The move is part of a broader pressure campaign that has included efforts to enforce an oil blockade on the island since January, shortly after President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, an ally and key oil supplier, was detained in a bold military operation.
An Axios report on Sunday cited classified intelligence and said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack U.S. targets.
Those targets could reportedly include the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. warships, and Key West, about 90 miles north of Cuba.
Cuba’s Díaz-Canel said in another social media post on Monday that the threat of a military invasion of Havana by the United States was well known, adding that if it came true “it would cause bloodshed with untold consequences.”
A White House press secretary could not be reached for comment when contacted by CNBC on Tuesday.
A man wearing shorts with an American flag on it walks down a street in Havana on May 18, 2026.
Yamil Raji | AFP | Getty Images
President Trump has previously talked about the possibility of a “friendly takeover” of Havana and said the White House could turn to Cuba after the Iran war. The US president also said he could do anything he wanted with the country, adding that he would have the “honor” of “occupying Cuba.”
Meanwhile, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said his country does not threaten or want war.
“Without any valid excuse, the #US government is manufacturing fraudulent cases day after day to justify its relentless economic war and eventual military invasion against the Cuban people,” Parrilla said via X on Monday.
Jorge Mas, president of the Cuban American National Foundation, a political advocacy group, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday: “I think we’re getting closer to finally seeing a free and democratic Cuba 90 miles from our shores, but the process of bringing freedom and democracy to Cuba will be full of twists and turns.”
“I think threats should be taken seriously, but at the end of the day Cuba’s fate remains the same. I think we are getting closer to seeing regime change in Cuba in the coming months,” he added.
