Rubio proposes CIA partnership as Trump revives warship stopover plan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on Cubans to seek political change immediately, proposing a private collaboration with the Central Intelligence Agency. This appeal followed President Donald Trump's announcement that American warships would pause near the Cuban coast while returning from the Iran war. Trump made the remarks on Friday at a rally in south Florida, suggesting the military presence would create an opening for diplomatic progress.

In a social media post, Rubio addressed those seeking positive change, citing corruption and the lifestyle of a privileged few as reasons for action. He encouraged Cubans to pursue a discrete partnership with the CIA. Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba before the socialist revolution, appeared to use the word discrete, meaning separate, when he likely intended discreet, meaning secret.

Trump first suggested this naval tactic earlier in the year but had remained silent on it for several months. He brought the idea back during a rally just days before the midterm elections, where voters expressed concern over rising prices for gas and groceries linked to the Iran conflict. The President described a ship stopping about 50 yards from the shore, with crew members waving. He stated that Rubio would then move in to finalize a deal.

Havana reacted with skepticism. Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio criticized the move on X, calling it public recruitment for the CIA. He described the agency as desperate, comparing the effort to selling toothpaste.

The administration has maintained a hardline stance. Trump previously hinted that Cuba would be the next target for intervention after the Iran war. In May, he and Rubio discussed the possibility of military action, a threat that gained weight after the US filed criminal charges against former leader Raul Castro. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he expected to be the president who finally intervened, despite past presidents considering the option for decades.

Rubio had not discussed Cuba in detail for weeks until a September 29 interview on Fox News. He described the island as having already fallen, noting a broken economy and a revolution that has been dead for 20 years. He said the US would prevent Cuba from becoming a base for operations against American interests, though he did not mention a CIA operation at that time.

Diplomatic efforts have remained inconsistent. US officials met with Cuban counterparts recently but left unimpressed, leading to new sanctions. At the UN General Assembly last month, Trump claimed Rubio was deep in negotiations and expected a deal without military force. However, the two governments clashed at the UN earlier this week as Washington sought to build opposition to a vote condemning the US economic embargo. Cuba has faced an economic crisis since 2020, marked by blackouts, food shortages, and emigration.