Marco Rubio accuses Cuba of helping Iran and other 'malign actors' to attack US

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Cuba on Thursday for allegedly aiding Iran and other adversaries in attacking the United States, while imposing sanctions on a Cuban state bank that allegedly provided financial services to an Iranian lender. Banco Internacional de Comercio, a Cuban state-owned bank, had supported Iran’s Karafarin Bank since at least 2022, Rubio stated in a declaration.

The US Treasury Department had already sanctioned Karafarin Bank in 2020. "For too long, Communist Cuba has been allowed to operate as an outpost for malign actors and terror groups – including the Islamic Republic of Iran," Rubio asserted. "For too long, Communist Cuba has been allowed to operate as an outpost for malign actors and terror groups – including the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism – to target the United States."

Rubio designated Banco Internacional de Comercio S.A. (BICSA), a Cuban financial institution, alongside Treasury Department actions targeting Iranian financial networks. The US administration, led by President Donald Trump, aims to curb Tehran’s access to international finance. Rubio emphasized that Washington would persist in identifying and dismantling Cuba’s financial and security ties with Iran and other hostile entities.