50 yards: US warships to stop off Cuba under new plan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cubans to seek a private partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday. His message arrived shortly after President Donald Trump announced that American warships would stop 50 yards off the Cuban coast during their return from the Iran war.

Rubio directed his remarks to those seeking positive change in the island nation. He cited failed promises, corruption, and the privileged status of a few as reasons to act now. The Secretary of State, whose parents left Cuba before the socialist revolution, described the desired alliance as a discrete partnership. He likely intended to use the word discreet, which means secret, rather than discrete, which means separate.

Trump reintroduced the naval plan at a Friday rally for candidates in south Florida. He had first floated the idea earlier in the year but had not mentioned it in recent months. When a voter shouted a question about Cuba, Trump responded by describing a specific maneuver. He said ships passing Cuba on the return from Iran would stop 50 yards off the coast, raise their hands, and then send Rubio to finalize the arrangement.

The timing of the announcement coincides with midterm elections. Voters have expressed concern about how the war in Iran has affected prices for goods like gas and groceries. Trump and Rubio have both adopted aggressive stances on Cuba in recent months. Trump previously suggested the country would be next for intervention after the Iran conflict winds down. In May, the two officials raised the prospect of military action, a threat that gained weight after the administration announced criminal charges against former leader Raúl Castro.

Havana reacted with mockery on Friday. Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio posted on X that the US was resorting to public recruitment for the CIA. He added that the agency must be in a state of desperation to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste. Rubio had not addressed Cuba in depth publicly for several weeks. In a September 29 interview on Fox News, he stated that Cuba has already fallen, describing a country with a non-functional economy and a dead revolution.

Diplomatic efforts between the two nations have been uneven. Rubio and other senior aides met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore better relations. The US side came away unimpressed, and new sanctions followed. In his speech to the UN General Assembly last month, Trump said Rubio was deep into negotiations. Days later, he told reporters he expected a deal without military action. This week, the two governments clashed at the UN as Washington sought to build opposition to an annual vote condemning the US economic embargo.

Cuba has faced an economic and energy crisis since 2020. Its gross domestic product has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have endured blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. Waves of protests have occurred, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans have emigrated, many to the United States.