US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking change to form a "discreet partnership" with the CIA in a post on X on Friday, as an American oil blockade leaves civilians facing hardship.
Rubio wrote on X, "To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time." According to Euronews, he urged civilians to "seize this opportunity" through "a discreet partnership with the CIA" to create the change they desire.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked the call. According to Al Jazeera, he wrote on X that the US was "resorting to public recruitment for the CIA."
The CIA also posted a video on X in Spanish telling people with information of interest to visit a US embassy in person if they can safely travel to one. According to Euronews, the agency advised contacts not to use a device or internet connection linked to their identity or workplace, and to remove software and apps from the device they use. It also asks people to share their base location, job title, and the type or level of access they have to information of interest.
The backdrop is a US oil blockade on Cuba, announced in January after the US military captured Venezuelan then-President Nicolas Maduro. According to Al Jazeera, the blockade has left civilians facing fuel shortages and blackouts.
UN rights experts have condemned the oil blockade as a violation of international law, according to Al Jazeera, while rights advocates say Trump administration threats echo an imperialist approach. In January, Trump said there would be "no more oil or money going to Cuba – zero!" and urged Havana to "make a deal," according to Euronews. Washington has maintained an embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years, according to Al Jazeera.
The key details of Rubio’s post rely on Al Jazeera and Euronews, and the sources do not confirm the exact date of the post beyond "Friday." Neither the State Department, the White House nor the CIA responded to Cuban officials’ criticism in the sources reviewed. Independent Cuban civilian voices are not quoted, and the wider public reaction is only described at headline level.
Watch for any official US response to Cuba’s criticism, further CIA recruitment messaging, and whether Trump’s stated push for a deal with Havana advances or military threats escalate. Trump has also claimed Cuba is "ready to fall" and said in September that "we’ll need the military" was not needed; these are his statements and have not been verified.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.