Rubio CIA Cuba Call: ‘Now Is the Time,’ He Tells Cubans

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, urged Cubans who want political change to work with the CIA, posting that “now is the time” minutes after President Donald Trump told a Florida rally that U.S. warships could stop off Cuba on their way home from the Iran war. The Rubio CIA Cuba message is the bluntest public signal yet of Washington’s push to end the island’s communist government.

“To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time,” Rubio wrote on X. “The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.” The Guardian noted that Rubio appeared to mean “discreet,” meaning secret, rather than “discrete.”

What Trump Said in Fort Myers

Speaking at a midterm rally for candidates in Fort Myers, Trump said, “We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran … then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal,” according to Reuters. AP described the remarks as his latest suggestion of an interventionist approach toward Cuba. No specific military operation or agreement was announced.

Trump first floated the warship idea earlier this year. Last month he predicted the United States and Cuba would reach an agreement and said he did not think military action would be necessary, Reuters reported. The administration has said its goal is to change Cuba’s government.

Havana Responds to the Rubio CIA Cuba Post

Cuban officials mocked the post. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío wrote on X that the United States was “resorting to public recruitment for the CIA,” adding that there “must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste,” Al Jazeera reported. Last month he told C-SPAN that U.S. military force against Cuba would be “an atrocious international crime.”

The CIA later posted a Spanish-language video on X explaining how people with information of interest can contact the agency, advising them first to visit a U.S. embassy in person if they can do so safely. AFP noted that Rubio’s post appeared to confirm the CIA is active in Cuba, which has a long history with the agency, including the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

The Pressure Campaign Behind the Message

The comments follow months of escalating U.S. pressure. A U.S.-imposed oil blockade earlier this year has left Cubans facing fuel shortages and rolling blackouts on top of failing infrastructure. United Nations human rights experts have condemned the blockade as a violation of international law, and the decades-old U.S. embargo remains in place. Our explainer on the U.S.-Cuba pressure campaign covers the blackouts and the lack of formal talks.

Washington’s posture hardened after the U.S. military captured Venezuela’s then-president, Nicolás Maduro, in a deadly raid in January. Florida prosecutors also recently charged former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown, as reported in our story on the Raúl Castro arrest warrant.

Why It Matters Now

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has handled much of the administration’s Cuba policy. His public call for cooperation with an intelligence agency is unusual for a top diplomat and puts the focus on ordinary Cubans, who face fuel shortages and blackouts at home. Cuba’s foreign minister told the UN General Assembly last month that Havana remains open to dialogue with Washington.

The remarks also tie Cuba to the Iran war, where U.S. forces remain heavily deployed in the Gulf, as described in our coverage of the Iran war escalation. Trump made the comments at a midterm campaign rally in South Florida, with the elections less than two weeks away.

Featured image: El Capitolio in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Virtual-Pano, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

• The Guardian: Rubio tells Cubans ‘now is the time’ to act
• Reuters via Investing.com: Rubio calls on those seeking change in Cuba to partner with CIA
• AP News: Trump revives idea of military intervention in Cuba after Iran
• Al Jazeera: Rubio calls on Cubans to partner with CIA
• AFP: Rubio urges Cubans to work with CIA, but warns: be discreet