US weighs Cuban drone threat; Havana denies claims, cites manufactured pretext for war

WASHINGTON: US believes Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and has recently discussed plans to use them against the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, American military vessels and possibly Florida, according a report by Axios that cited US officials.

The report surfaced as strains persist between Washington and Havana and amid growing speculation that the United States is considering military action against the communist-run island.

Axios, citing a senior US official, said the Trump administration is alarmed by advances in drone warfare and by the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana. US officials told Axios that Cuba has been obtaining attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and is looking to purchase additional systems.

Cuba rejected the report, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accusing Washington of trying to manufacture a pretext for future action.

With no legitimate excuse whatsoever, the US government is, day after day, building a fraudulent case to justify a ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and an eventual military aggression.

Rodriguez wrote on X.

Cuba does not threaten or desire war. It defends peace and is readying and preparing itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense recogni[s]ed by the UN Charter.

he added.

US concerns and CIA visit

The Axios report came days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana, where, Cubans have been facing constant electricity outages caused by President Donald Trump’s fuel blockade.

According to Axios, Ratcliffe warned Cuban officials against taking hostile action. The outlet quoted an unnamed CIA official as saying:

Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere.

The latest report comes against the backdrop of a decades-long confrontation between Cuba and successive US administrations dating back to the 1960s. Havana’s accusation that Washington is 'manufacturing a pretext for war' taps into a deep vein of historical animosity. Since the 1959 revolution, the island nation has endured the 1961 CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, decades of crippling economic embargoes, and declassified Cold War-era U.S. plots—such as Operation Northwoods—that genuinely sought to fabricate false-flag attacks to justify an American invasion. For Cuban officials, the drone allegations are merely the latest chapter in a 60-year playbook

Recent statements by Trump

Earlier this month, Trump said the United States would be taking over the Caribbean island, which lies about 90 miles, or 145 kilometres, from Florida, almost immediately.

He has also said that Cuba would be next following the US military operation that removed Venezuela’s longtime leader Nicolas Maduro.

US media have also reported that American authorities are seeking to indict Raul Castro, the 94-year-old brother of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The developments add to already heightened tensions between the two countries as both sides trade accusations over security threats and military intentions.

Florida, the US state closest to Cuba, is home to a large and politically influential Cuban exile community.