# Rubio Urges Cubans to Partner With US Intelligence After Trump Says Warships Could Stop Off Cuba

Havana replied that Washington "does not renounce its ambitions of domination," and the Central Intelligence Agency posted Spanish-language guidance for people who want to contact it.

- Published: 2026-10-24T05:16:48.483Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-24/rubio-urges-cubans-to-partner-with-us-intelligence-after-tru
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/marco-rubio-cuba-trump), [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/24/10-24-rubi0-cuba-cia), [Investing.com Commodities](https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/trump-says-us-will-take-care-of-cuba-on-its-way-back-from-iran-4970339)

At a Friday rally in South Florida, President Trump said US warships returning from the Iran war could stop near Cuba. "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," he said, before adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would "finish up the deal," [CBC reported](https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-cuba-south-florida-rally-9.7394119). [Investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/trump-says-us-will-take-care-of-cuba-on-its-way-back-from-iran-4970339) reported that Trump said the United States would "take care of Cuba" on its way back from Iran. He first raised the idea earlier this year and revived it in response to a question shouted from the crowd.

Moments later, Rubio told Cubans seeking political change that "now is the time," [The Guardian reported](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/marco-rubio-cuba-trump). In his post on X, Rubio urged them to pursue change "through a discrete partnership with the CIA," [according to CNN en Español](https://kesq.com/kunamundo/noticias-cnn/cnn-spanish/2026/10/23/rubio-insta-a-cubanos-a-establecer-una-asociacion-discreta-con-la-cia-para-impulsar-cambios-es-el-momento/). [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/24/10-24-rubi0-cuba-cia) described the message as a call for Cubans to work secretly with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to bring down their government. The CIA then posted guidance in Spanish on social media, listing contact channels and digital security precautions, [Periódico Cubano reported](https://www.periodicocubano.com/la-cia-publica-una-guia-en-espanol-para-los-cubanos-tras-el-llamado-de-marco-rubio/).

Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel answered on X that the US government "makes clear it does not renounce its ambitions of domination over Cuba," [according to Directorio Cubano](https://www.directoriocubano.info/cuba/trump-buques-guerra-50-yardas-cuba-marco-rubio-octubre-2026/). He said Cubans won their independence on January 1, 1959, and are determined to defend it. He added that the US embargo, not Cuba, is the threat.

## What this means

The rally remarks came from a campaign stage in South Florida ten days before the midterms. The CIA's public guide is a concrete operational step, not rhetoric. The two should be weighed differently. Trump links any Cuban action to the end of the Iran campaign, so US naval capacity is the real constraint on timing. Havana can do little militarily. Its leverage is migration pressure and appeals to Latin American governments. Exposure falls on third-country investors in Cuban tourism and joint ventures, and on Chinese and Russian interests on the island, which face higher sanctions and expropriation risk under any transition. The nearest recent precedent is Venezuela, where months of US naval pressure in late 2025 came before the January 2026 operation that seized Nicolás Maduro. The likelier outcome over the coming months is sustained covert and economic pressure rather than a landing. A move by naval assets from the Gulf toward the Caribbean would mark escalation. No follow-up after November 3 would prove this read wrong.

## What to watch

- The movement of US warships leaving the Middle East. A route through the Caribbean would turn the rally remark into a deployment.
- New US Treasury sanctions or remittance limits on Cuba. These would show economic pressure accompanying the covert-action appeal.
- Statements from Mexico, Brazil and other regional governments. Their response will show whether Havana can raise the diplomatic cost to Washington.