Hegseth says Cuba a 'national security threat' amid Trump's hint at potential talks

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Cuba as a national security threat to the United States in response to questions from Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) during a congressional hearing on Tuesday. This comes at a time when President Donald Trump claimed that he would be talking to Cuba after they asked for help. "No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction - down!" he wrote on Truth Social.

Hegseth did not go into details at the hearing, but he responded in the affirmative when Diaz-Balart asked about the use of Cuban ports by Russian spy ships and warships. He also added that he was unaware of Cubans fighting for Russia in Ukraine. "We've long been concerned that a foreign adversary using a location that close to our shores is highly problematic," he said when asked about the site of the Russian SIGINT complex in Lourdes becoming a hub for Russian intelligence within Cuba

The administration's hawkish stance, coupled with Trump's post about dialogue, suggests a "carrot-and-stick" approach in which Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio apply pressure and hint at a military threat, and Trump forges a diplomatic resolution. The rhetoric may also allow the administration to gain an upper hand in the coming talks. There is no official announcement yet.

Cuba has long been touted as the "deadliest threat" to the U.S. for the past six decades. There are conflicting reports of a possible military operation in Cuba. On the one hand, the escalating rhetoric of sanctions suggests that an invasion might be on the cards as part of the Donroe Doctrine, Axios reported. On the other hand, the administration is not looking at any imminent military action, according to the Associated Press.

The administration's recent sanctions target a business conglomerate, Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., operated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. Furthermore, they cover Moa Nickel, a Cuban joint venture with Canada's Sherritt International, which immediately announced it would withdraw from the business. The sanctions may translate into an asset freeze and impede travel to the US.

Cuba's foreign minister, Bruno Rodrigues, slammed the announcement, terming the "US aggression against Cuba as a collective punishment of a genocidal nature that condemns the entire country and uses it as a hostage for the purpose of dominating it." Cuba is also reeling from a virtual energy blockade as Trump has blocked fuel supplies to the island, which is dependent on imported oil, mostly from Venezuela and Mexico.