US raises threat of military action against Cubamilitary action against Cuba
The Trump administration has increased pressure on Cuba, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying diplomacy is doubtful and the president may still choose force.
The move, reported on May 21 and May 22, comes as Washington weighs tougher measures against the communist-led island and matters because it revives fears of a major crisis between the two countries.
US Administration
The administration presents its approach as a response to Cuba's political system and says the president has broad options. Rubio has framed diplomacy as uncertain while leaving open the possibility of stronger action.
Cuban Government
President Miguel Díaz-Canel has condemned the indictment and the pressure campaign as political theater. Havana says the language about force is meant to justify what it views as a possible military aggression against Cuba.
- Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and sits just 90 miles from Florida.
- The 1962 missile crisis helped make Cuba a symbol of Cold War nuclear brinkmanship.
- U.S.-Cuba relations have swung for decades between cautious thaw and renewed hostility.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded in October 1962 as a direct confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles secretly deployed in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine of the island, and Soviet forces moved to support the buildup while both sides exchanged urgent messages and weighed military options.
1 July
Khrushchev and Castro agree to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.1 April
The Soviet Union sends more air defenses and regular troops to Cuba.1 March
Castro removes Anibal Escalante and his pro-Moscow allies from Cuba’s revolutionary organizations.
