Axios recently published a report claiming U.S. officials are assessing allegations that Cuba acquired hundreds of military drones and discussed possible attacks on Guantánamo, U.S. vessels, and even Key West. The report spread rapidly across social media despite major questions and pushback, with many readers publicly challenging the credibility of the claims and lack of context being presented.
At the very same time, the Trump administration is escalating pressure on Cuba through new sanctions, threats against the island’s economy, and now the formal indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military has deployed thousands of troops in the Caribbean, including the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group near Cuba, while politicians and media outlets ramp up fear and speculation around the island.
We have seen this script before: economically suffocate a country with sanctions, amplify fear through sensational headlines and anonymous intelligence claims, blame the targeted government for the resulting suffering, then present U.S. intervention and domination as “help.”
Media outlets have a responsibility to investigate power, not echo unverified narratives that fuel panic, justify escalation, and manufacture consent for yet another regime-change agenda.
Tell Axios: Stop manufacturing consent for intervention in Cuba.
Right now, Cuba is facing blackouts, fuel shortages, food shortages, and deep economic suffering driven by decades of U.S. sanctions and an escalating campaign targeting the island’s access to fuel and international trade. The Trump administration has threatened penalties on countries and companies supplying oil to Cuba, while major shipping companies have suspended Cuba routes under U.S. pressure. Cuban officials say the island has effectively run out of diesel and fuel oil.
Despite this reality, Marco Rubio claims there is “no oil blockade” on Cuba and dismisses the crisis as simply Venezuela no longer giving the island “free oil.” This is a lie. Cuba and Venezuela maintained cooperation agreements in which Cuba sent doctors, healthcare workers, teachers, and technical specialists in exchange for oil and economic support. At the same time, the U.S.heavily sanctioned Venezuela’s oil industry while also targeting companies transporting fuel to Cuba, making it increasingly difficult for either country to maintain those agreements.
This suffering did not appear out of nowhere. It is the human consequence of years of economic warfare designed to squeeze and isolate an entire country.
Instead of lifting the blockade, Washington is escalating even further: new sanctions, indictment against 94-year-old Raúl Castro, and now a fear-driven drone narrative being amplified across the media cycle.
Tell Axios: Stop spreading fear-driven narratives that pave the way for an attack on Cuba.
The U.S. has no right to attack Cuba, threaten Cuba, starve Cuba, or decide Cuba’s future. The people of Cuba need fuel, medicine, food, and sovereignty. For more than 60 years, Washington has tried to force Cuba into submission through economic warfare, isolation, and regime-change operations. Media outlets should not help recycle the narratives used to justify escalation and intervention.
Cuba does not need another “new relationship” written in Washington. Cuba needs the U.S. to get out of its way.
Other ways to engage
👉 Join our next Cuba Community call to hear updates from organizers, discuss the growing escalation against Cuba and learn how to take action. We need all hands on deck right now.
👉 Read: The Indictment of Raúl Castro: A New Low in U.S. Cuba Policy by Medea Benjamin.
👉 If you haven’t already, ask World Central Kitchen to feed Cuba during this Man-Made Crisis.
👉 We just returned from Holguín, where our delegation distributed aid and saw firsthand how the blockade affects farms, food production and daily life. Watch the video and photos.
In Solidarity,
Medea, Michelle, Teri & the whole CODEPINK Team
