Cuba Blasts Rubio's Terror Claim as Political, Demands U.S. Removal

(MENAFN) Cuba fired back Wednesday against accusations leveled by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told the U.S. Senate that the Caribbean nation actively sponsors terrorism.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez took to X to dispute the designation, arguing that Cuba's continued presence on Washington's alleged state sponsors of terrorism list rests on political calculations rather than any factual basis.

Rodriguez charged that the label is "so arbitrary and devoid of moral sense that the U.S. Secretary of State himself lacks arguments before that country's Congress to justify the imposition of this criminal measure."

The foreign minister contended that Rubio's statements laid bare Washington's broader strategy of sustained pressure against Havana.

"His mask crumbles. His political motivation and sole aim become clear: to strangle the Cuban economy by every possible means, provoke a humanitarian crisis, and promote military intervention in Cuba," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also raised alarm over what he described as congressional complicity, warning that it was deeply troubling that lawmakers were permitting "the lie of a public servant to stand."

Rubio had delivered his remarks during a Senate hearing in which he defended the Trump administration's decision to retain Cuba on the terrorism sponsors roster — a designation that carries sweeping economic and diplomatic consequences for the island nation.

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