'Now is the time': Rubio calls on Cubans for regime change via CIA 'partnership'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directly urged Cubans seeking political change in their country to act, declaring that "now is the time" and calling on them to build a "discrete partnership with the CIA".

"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 [sic] partnership with the CIA," Rubio wrote in a post on X (formally twitter) addressed to those seeking positive change.

Rubio’s public call for CIA collaboration came after President Donald Trump renewed threats of military intervention in Cuba during a Friday campaign rally in South Florida.

Addressing candidates and voters in Fort Myers days ahead of the US midterm elections, Trump responded to a crowd member's question by suggesting that American warships returning from the war with Iran could deploy off Cuba's coast.

"We’ll do a little stopover," Trump told the audience. "Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal."

Trump hinted at potential kinetic action if negotiations stall, saying, "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree." Questioning the strategic judgment of opposition leaders, he added, "If they’re smart, they’ll just say, ‘Let’s get down to business.’ But, you know, I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart."

Havana mocks Washington's 'desperation' 

Cuban officials quickly rejected the statements from Rubio and Trump, condemning US policies toward the island. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced what he described as imperialist "US ambitions," while Havana mocked Washington's rhetoric.

"Now the United States is resorting to public recruitment for the CIA," Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio wrote on X. "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."

Both Trump and Rubio have consistently taken a hard line on Cuba, with Trump previously suggesting the nation could be "next" for US intervention as operations in Iran wind down. In May, the administration raised the specter of military intervention following criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, with Trump stating in the Oval Office that while previous presidents pondered intervention for decades, "it looks like I'll be the one that does it."

For his part, Rubio told reporters separately that Cuba has posed a national security threat due to its ties with US adversaries, expressing skepticism that diplomatic resolution remains viable with the island's current leadership.

Cuba under economic strain 

Prior to his recent post, Rubio had not addressed Cuba extensively in public for several weeks. Speaking to Fox News on September 29, Rubio said, "The truth is Cuba has already fallen. It doesn’t have a functional economy and it’s governed by people who continue to preach about some revolution that has been dead for 20 years that’s never worked... We’re never going to allow Cuba to become a base of operation against American interests or pose a threat to our national security."

While Rubio and senior aides have held meetings with Cuban representatives in recent months, the US side reported being unimpressed, resulting in additional sanctions against Havana. During the UN General Assembly last month, Trump noted Rubio was "deep into negotiations with Cuba," adding days later that he anticipated a deal without needing military force because "Cuba is failing very badly."

The two nations also clashed at the UN earlier this week as the Trump administration campaigned against an annual resolution condemning Washington’s decades-long economic embargo.