Cuban official accuses US of escalating tensions, raises concerns of conflict

4/6/2025 6:33

A visiting senior Cuban official on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of ratcheting up tensions between Washington and Havana and expressed concerns that the U.S. was trying to provoke a military confrontation.



Speaking to reporters at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, Johana Tablada, deputy director for U.S. affairs in Cuba's foreign ministry, said an armed clash between the two old Cold War rivals was "not a good idea" and that the Cuban government was trying to ease the situation but that the U.S. appeared

determined to further damage relations.



Tablada said new Trump administration measures targeting Communist-ruled Cuba intend to rupture relations "to create conditions, in my opinion, for, if necessary, a military confrontation."



Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials have taken a hardline approach to Cuba since he took office in January, returning longtime foe Cuba to a U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, tightening rules on remittances, and shutting off migration programs that allowed some Cubans to work

in the U.S. legally.