Cuba has acquired roughly 300 drones from Iran and Russia and has discussed using them to strike U.S. military targets, U.S. reporting shows.
Axios reported May 17, citing classified intelligence, that Cuba’s military has begun discussing plans to employ drones against the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, U.S. warships and Key West, Florida.
According to the reporting, since 2023 Havana has imported attack drones of varying capabilities from Russia and Iran and deployed them to strategic sites across the island. U.S. officials say Cuba requested additional drones and military equipment from Russia over the past month.
U.S. intelligence does not assess that an attack is imminent, nor that Cuba is actively executing a concrete plan to strike the United States. Still, analysts say Cuba’s military is refining drone tactics in case worsening ties with Washington escalate into armed conflict.
The expansion of Cuba’s drone capabilities and the reported presence of Iranian military advisers on the island have raised alarms inside the Trump administration. Axios said the intelligence could be cited to justify future U.S. military action.
A senior U.S. official told reporters, “It’s troubling that such a wide range of malicious actors—from terrorist groups and drug cartels to Iran and Russia—are deploying this technology so close to home. This is a growing threat.”
The Cuban embassy posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Like any country, Cuba has the right to defend itself against external aggression. This is the right of self-defense, and it is protected by international law and the U.N. Charter.”
The embassy added that U.S. figures “who seek to subjugate and effectively destroy the Cuban state through military invasion and war waste no time manufacturing excuses and spreading lies,” and that they portray the logical preparations needed to respond to potential aggression as if those measures were extraordinary.
The United States has also stepped up diplomatic and security pressure on Havana. Axios reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on May 14 and warned local authorities against engaging in hostile acts.
A CIA official said Ratcliffe told Cuban authorities that Cuba must not become a foothold in the Western Hemisphere for hostile actors to advance an anti‑U.S. agenda.
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