\u201cWe\u2019re going to have our own information on this, and we\u2019re going to figure out exactly what happened,\u201d Rubio told reporters in Saint Kitts and Nevis, adding that the US would not rely solely on Cuba\u2019s version of events.<\/p>\n
He declined to speculate about what transpired but said there was \u201ca wide range\u201d of potential explanations, adding: \u201cSuffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shoot-outs at open sea like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A US official said on Thursday that the speedboat\u2019s owner \u201calleged that the vessel was stolen by an employee\u201d, and that at least two of those on board were American citizens, including one of the deceased. A third person had a US visa, and others might be US permanent\u00a0residents, the official added. <\/p>\n
The US official said that some on board the\u00a0boat had criminal records, and that an injured American citizen was receiving medical care in Cuba.<\/p>\n
The Cuban interior ministry said on Wednesday that the \u201c10 armed persons\u201d, all of whom were Cuban residents in the US, had been attempting to carry out a \u201cterrorist infiltration\u201d plot when they were intercepted. <\/p>\n
When five Cuban troops approached the boat, the crew on the Florida-registered vessel opened fire and injured a soldier.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms were seized,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
Alongside the six people captured onboard the vessel, the ministry also said that a Cuban national who had been \u201csent from the United States to guarantee the arrival of the armed infiltration\u201d had been arrested in the country.<\/p>\n
Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel said on Thursday: \u201cCuba does not attack or threaten\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009Cuba will defend its sovereignty and national stability with determination and firmness against any terrorist or mercenary aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n
As tensions rise with the US, Rubio said that Cuba\u2019s \u201cstatus quo is unsustainable\u201d and that the country \u201cneeds to change dramatically\u201d.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the US said it would allow Venezuelan oil to be resold to Cuba through private-sector intermediaries, providing a lifeline to the Caribbean island amid a desperate fuel shortage and humanitarian crisis. <\/p>\n
The US Treasury department\u2019s sanctions enforcement body, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, said it would approve applications from third parties to resell Venezuelan crude and refined products to Cuba via the nation\u2019s fledgling private sector.<\/p>\n
Ofac said: \u201cThis favourable licensing policy is directed towards transactions that support the Cuban people, including the Cuban private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agency said the new licensing policy would not cover transactions \u201cinvolving, or for the benefit, of any persons or entities associated with the Cuban military, intelligence services or other government institutions\u201d. <\/p>\n
The state controls a wide swath of the nation\u2019s economy, with the \u201cnon-state\u201d sector accounting for just 55 per cent of retail sales of goods and services in 2024, according to government figures.<\/p>\n
Rubio said that \u201cit\u2019s always been legal to sell to the private sector in Cuba\u201d. But if the US catches the private sector \u201cplaying games and diverting to the regime or to the military\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009those licences will be cancelled\u201d. <\/p>\n
Since Maduro\u2019s capture, Washington has taken control of Venezuelan oil sales, with millions of barrels being stockpiled by trading houses, including Vitol and Trafigura, causing storage facilities across the Caribbean to fill up in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cuba, which produces only enough fuel to meet 40 per cent of national demand, is grappling with severe shortages, leaving power plants and home generators idle amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n
Hospitals have reduced operations in recent weeks as disease and hunger surge, while drivers queue for hours in the hope of filling their tanks. Blackouts are a daily reality across much of the island and airlines, deprived of jet fuel, have grounded flights.<\/p>\n
A decline in tourism and agriculture, alongside several countries scrapping their contracts with Cuban doctors, has aggravated the crisis, depriving Havana of foreign exchange to pay for imports.<\/p>\n
In response to the crisis, Havana, which has long controlled the oil trade along with much of the economy, this month allowed private businesses to import fuel.<\/p>\n
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