Rubio Urges Cubans to Partner With CIA, Havana Mocks Appeal After Trump's Warship Remarks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Oct. 23, publicly asked Cubans to work with the CIA. The post on X came hours after President Donald Trump told a Florida rally that U.S. warships would stop off Cuba's coast on the way home from Iran.

"To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba, now is the time," Rubio wrote. He pointed to "the disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few." He urged Cubans to "seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA."

Rubio's post spelled it "discrete," not "discreet." The meaning was clear enough.

The CIA follows up

Hours later, the CIA posted a Spanish-language video on X laying out how people with information of interest to the agency can reach it.

The agency's first suggestion is to visit an official U.S. facility in person, if the person can travel there safely. For online contact through the CIA website, it advises a secure connection such as a VPN, a private browser and a burner email account not tied to personal details.

The agency also asks those who write in to include their city, occupation, level of access and contact details.

Havana's response

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio answered on X. "Now the United States is resorting to public recruitment for the CIA," he wrote.

"There must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste," he added.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez separately rejected Trump's comments. "Our coastline is full of beautiful beaches, but there are also razor-sharp limestone spikes," he said in substance, describing the terrain as inhospitable to those who arrive with hostile intentions. His post carried the hashtag #CubaNoEsUnaAmenaza. CNN en Español contacted Cuba's presidency and foreign ministry for comment.

On Sept. 7, Rodriguez said no talks were underway with the United States and none were planned, while describing U.S. sanctions as a "genocidal" blockade.

What Trump said

The remarks came at a Fort Myers rally, in answer to a shouted question from the crowd. "We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran. We'll do a little stopover," Trump said.

He went on: "Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands. And then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal."

Trump gave no details on what the "deal" would contain or when it would happen.

The timeline problem

The plan depends on the Iran war ending. The U.S. war on Iran began in late February, and Trump has long forecast that it is winding down. It has not wound down.

Trump has floated action against Cuba all year. After the January U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump said several times that the U.S. was weighing action in Cuba and might try to take control of the island.

In May, he and Rubio raised the prospect of intervention again, after the administration announced criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced an arrest warrant for Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes. "It looks like I'll be the one that does it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office at the time, saying past presidents had considered intervening for decades.

Rubio said then that Cuba had been a national security threat for years because of its ties to U.S. adversaries. He said the administration wanted to settle differences peacefully, but he doubted a diplomatic resolution was possible with the current Cuban leadership.

Pressure short of force

The State Department announced a round of sanctions on Sept. 18, designating 11 actors in Cuba's economic and security apparatus. The targets were four state-run enterprises tied to Cuba's nickel reserves, four military entities engaged in research and development, and three senior military officials.

The Hill reported that Rubio called Cuba a "failed state" last month. It also noted that it remains unclear whether Trump intends to follow through on the military threats.

The U.S. Coast Guard has also reported intercepting a vessel carrying fuel illegally to Cuba. The origin of the fuel was not immediately clear, according to the Coast Guard.

Midterm backdrop

Trump spoke just days before the midterm elections. The Guardian reported that voters have voiced concern about the Iran war's effect on prices, from gas to groceries. Cuba had not come up in recent months before the question from the crowd.

Cuban officials, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Rodriguez, have repeatedly dismissed U.S. statements about Cuba and the pressure campaign.

Neither the White House nor the State Department has said whether any ship is actually headed for Cuba, or what Rubio would be negotiating. Until the Iran war ends, the Cuba timeline has no start date.