Rubio adds pressure on Cuba and addresses the island's citizens to offer them a "new path"

WashingtonThe White House is beginning to grow impatient with the Cuban regime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, shared a five-minute video on X addressing Cubans and accusing the regime's economic-military conglomerate, Gaesa, of being responsible for the energy siege the island is suffering. "President Trump is offering a new relationship between the US and Cuba, but it must be with you and not with Gaesa," he says, insisting that Washington is "prepared to open a new chapter." Although Rubio speaks to Cubans, the message is directed at Gaesa, which controls the island. Washington is increasing pressure on the regime and preparing the ground for a possible attack if it deems it convenient.

For years, the heart of political power in Havana has not been the Communist Party, but this business structure created by former president Raúl Castro in the 90s. Initially, Gaesa's purpose was to strengthen the Cuban defense sector, but today it controls everything from the island's gas stations to luxury tourist resorts. In total, between 40% and 70% of the Cuban economy passes through its hands. It is no coincidence that the US administration, and Rubio in particular, is now focusing on Gaesa. Unlike Venezuela, where the capture of Nicolás Maduro was enough to decapitate the regime and gain control of the transitional government, in Cuba everything depends on this economic-military conglomerate that is not identified with a single person.

In recent weeks, US government officials have told the press that President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated with his pressure campaign against Cuba. The island has been suffering a brutal energy siege from the US for over four months, yet the regime does not seem to be budging. This is why, in recent days, the possibility of a military attack against the island has begun to be considered in cabinet meetings. An operation that would hardly be as clean and effective as the one in Venezuela.

would trigger a "horrific" guerrilla war.It would trigger a "horrific" guerrilla war.

Furthermore, Brenner adds that the Pentagon currently has a large portion of its forces focused on the conflict with Iran, which is why opening a second front would further compromise the premise of having a percentage of forces always ready for combat as a deterrent. The growing impatience of the White House has translated in recent days into an increase in insinuations of possible military intervention and more sanction packages. It has been two weeks since the State Department announced new sanctions against Gaesa, and just on Monday, a new battery of restrictions was applied against eleven military leaders and members of the Cuban executive. Among them, the Minister of Communications, Mayra Arevich Marín. In parallel, tensions with the Cuban government have increased after the leak of a US intelligence report that portrays the island as a threat to US national security after allegedly acquiring around 300 attack drones. the leak of a US intelligence report that portrays the island as a threat to US national security after allegedly acquiring around 300 attack drones.

Rubio's message is also published on the same day that the Department of Justice is expected to announce an indictment against former President Raúl Castro, 94. Among the charges for which he is being considered for indictment is the case of two planes shot down by the Cuban army in 1996 that belonged to the organization of exiled Cuban-Americans Hermanos al Rescate. Although not de facto in power, Castro is the founder of Gaesa and still remains one of the most powerful figures in the regime. The accusation strongly resembles the modus operandi that Trump followed to justify Maduro's capture: the Department of Justice accused him of being the leader of the Los Soles cartel. Once captured, this concept was dropped in the new accusation presented against him, as there has never been a Los Soles cartel as such, but rather it was terminology used to designate the corruption network within the Venezuelan government.

Also a message for internal consumption

Beyond beating the drums of war, the video shared on X by Rubio is also a message for internal consumption. Rubió is known for being a hawk on both Venezuela and Cuba, although the Caribbean island has always been a personal issue. Much of his political brand has been built in Florida, appealing to the Cuban diaspora with the promise of provoking a regime change. Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, has also created a whole narrative around his identity and Cuba. However, although for many years he liked to portray himself as the son of Cuban exiles, it was later discovered that his parents had left before the Cuban Revolution, under the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Rubio himself eventually acknowledged it.

Provoking a regime change is a matter of legacy for Rubio and another medal to hang on his chest for the 2028 presidential election. Although there are still two years to go, in recent weeks his Hispanic figure has begun to be projected as a possible presidential candidate. His appearance during the White House press conference and the visibility he is gaining as the man who solves problems within the administration is placing him in an advantageous position against Trump's presumed successor, Vice President J.D. Vance. In this context, Rubio's video addressing the Cuban people is once again a strategy to sustain the

momentum around his figure.