US defence chief warns Cuba over weapons that could reach Guantánamo

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Cuba against acquiring weapons that could reach the United States or the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay. He made the remarks during a visit to the base in south-eastern Cuba, speaking to US troops and framing the issue as a direct warning to Havana. The comments add to an already tense security relationship between Washington and Cuba.

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Hegseth said it would be unwise for the Cuban government to try to procure or gain access to weapons capable of reaching the base or the American homeland. He warned that such a move would invite confrontation that Cuba could not withstand. The report says he delivered the message while dressed in a green T-shirt and black shorts for physical fitness training with US forces, underscoring the public nature of the visit.

The warning comes as Washington has ramped up pressure on Cuba through sanctions and what the report describes as a devastating oil blockade. It also follows claims reported last month that Cuba had obtained more than 300 military drones and had discussed using them against the Guantánamo base, US military vessels and possibly Florida. Cuban officials rejected those claims, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accusing the United States of baselessly plotting for its next war.

The issue matters because Guantánamo Bay remains one of the most sensitive symbols in the long-running dispute between the two countries. The US base sits on Cuban territory and is closely tied to wider questions of sovereignty, military pressure and regional security. Any suggestion that Cuba could acquire weapons capable of threatening the base or the US mainland raises the stakes around an already fraught relationship.

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The visit also fits into a broader pattern of recent US engagement with the island. The report says this was Hegseth's second trip to Guantánamo as Pentagon chief, after another early last year, and that it is part of a series of visits by senior US officials. Late last month, the top US general overseeing operations in Latin America visited Guantánamo and met with Cuban military leaders.

Two weeks earlier, CIA director John Ratcliffe visited Havana and met with Cuban officials. Guantánamo Bay is about 430 miles south-east of Miami and has long been central to US-Cuba tensions. The report says Hegseth was also due to travel to Tampa, Florida, the headquarters of US Central Command, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, including operations against Iran.

What remains unclear is whether Washington has specific intelligence about Cuban weapons procurement, how Havana will respond, and whether the latest warning will lead to any further diplomatic or military steps.

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