Tensions rose between Cuba and the United States when the island country called the latter’s action of stationing its nuclear-powered submarine at its military base at Guantanamo Bay as a “provocative escalation” of conflict, a month after the US claimed that China operates its spy base from Cuba.
Its foreign ministry in a statement said, “The presence of a nuclear submarine there at this moment makes it imperative to wonder what is the military reason behind this action in this peaceful region of the world.” The Cuban ministry did not specify whether the submarine was armed. It said it was at the base from July 5 to July 8.
However, the United States did not substantiate about the presence of any submarine at the naval base. The US State Department refused to divulge details about movements of military assets. The Department said Cuba was attempting to divert attention from the two-year anniversary of a street protest of the highest scale witnessed since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
An official of the US State Department said, “Attempts by the Cuban government to distract the world from the significance of this day are transparent and risible.”
On the other hand, Cuba put the blame for the protest on US on Monday, saying it instigated it.
Professor William LeoGrande of Washington’s American University told Reuters it is challenging to determine the exact reason for movements of the submarine. He suggested there might be possible technical problems or could be a reaction to serious concerns about China.
He said, “Overall this is an incident that is really a symptom of the fact that Cuba has once again become caught between superpowers in what appears to be the emergence of a new Cold War.”
Cuba has been urging the US to shut down its 121-year-old naval base in the island’s eastern region and its military cell that it created there in 2002. According to critics, the US has been using Guantanamo Bay prison holding terrorist suspects illegally and torturing them.
In June, both Cuba and China denied reports showing US officials claiming Chinese use of Cuba as a spy base. However, United States could not present any evidence.
The statement from the ministry expressed concerns about the presence of nuclear submarines and armed forces circulating in the Caribbean. It also raised objections to the history of U.S. military bases in the region, citing potential threats to sovereignty. The ministry reiterated its call for the United States to end its military presence in Cuba, asserting that it violates Cuba’s sovereign rights and contributes to alleged acts of detention, torture, and human rights violations.
