Hegseth warns Cuba against weapons threatening U.S.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Cuba on Wednesday that any effort to acquire weapons capable of striking the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay or the American mainland could trigger a confrontation Havana “could not stand.”

Speaking to U.S. troops during a visit to the base in southeastern Cuba, Hegseth said the Cuban government should not seek arms that could reach U.S. targets.

“It would be unwise for the government of Cuba to try to procure or get access to the types of weapons that could reach this base or the American homeland,” he said. “They would be inviting the kind of confrontation not only do they not want, but they could not stand.”

Hegseth, dressed in a green T-shirt and black shorts for physical fitness training with U.S. forces, did not specify which weapons he was referring to. His comments followed a May report by Axios that Cuba had obtained more than 300 military drones and had recently begun discussing plans to use them to attack the Guantánamo base, U.S. military vessels and possibly Florida. U.S. officials told Axios that Cuba has been acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and is seeking to buy more.

Cuba has rejected the report. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the United States of baselessly plotting for its next war, while Cuban officials have said the country is not a threat to the U.S. and has the right to defend itself. Havana has also accused Washington of “fabricating pretexts” and “creating and spreading falsehoods” to justify “potential aggression.”

The visit comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba through sanctions and what Al Jazeera described as a de facto energy blockade, including threats of tariffs against countries that supply the island with oil. The resulting fuel shortages have caused blackouts and shortages of basic supplies, Al Jazeera reported.

Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, criticized the U.S. restrictions this week, saying they have hit vulnerable Cubans especially hard. “Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”

Tensions between Washington and Havana have risen since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Trump has repeatedly signaled that Cuba’s government could come under U.S. pressure after Venezuela, and Al Jazeera reported that he has threatened possible military intervention in Cuba following a January 3 attack to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Hegseth said the future of relations depends on both governments. “What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of… the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba,” he said.

He also suggested Washington could eventually have warmer ties with Havana. “Soon, we could be a friend of the leadership of the government of Cuba,” he said. But he did not rule out military action, adding: “For now, let’s see what happens. But the Department of War will give the commander-in-chief every single option he needs within that contingency.”

Guantánamo Bay, about 430 miles southeast of Miami, is also the site of the prison used to hold detainees seized after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Rights groups have long condemned conditions there, and U.N. experts have called it a site of “unparalleled notoriety.” Trump has also sought to use the base as a holding center for immigrants being deported from the United States.

Hegseth’s stop was his second visit to Guantánamo as Pentagon chief. It followed recent visits by General Francis Donovan, who leads U.S. Southern Command, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who met Cuban officials in Havana. Hegseth was also due to travel to Tampa, Florida, home of U.S. Central Command.