Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, center, attends a celebration marking the 65th anniversary of the proclamation declaring the Cuban Revolution socialist, in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, April 16, 2026. Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP

A senior U.S. official told Axios that the U.S. intelligence information highlights the degree to which the Trump administration views the island as a growing threat due to advancements in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana.

"When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it's concerning," the unnamed official told Axios. "It's a growing threat."

In a written statement posted to X, the Cuban Embassy in Washington defended its right to military readiness.

"Like any country, Cuba has the right to defend itself against external aggression. It is called self-defense, and it is protected by International Law and the UN Charter," the embassy posted on X.

A top Cuban government official wrote on X that "#Cuba neither threatens nor desires war."

The Axios report comes amid intensifying diplomatic and military pressure from Washington on Cuba.

The Associated Press and other media outlets reported Friday that the Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro. One source told the AP that the potential indictment is connected to Castro's alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

Last Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba to urge Cuban leaders to dismantle their communist government to end crippling American sanctions.

"Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere," a CIA official told Axios. "The Western Hemisphere cannot be our adversaries' playground."

U.S. officials told Axios that Cuba has been quietly stockpiling attack drones of "varying capabilities" from Russia and Iran since 2023, hiding them in strategic locations across the island. Within the past month, Cuban officials have sought even more equipment from Moscow.

The senior U.S. official said intelligence intercepts show Cuban operatives are actively "trying to learn about how Iran has resisted us."

Additionally, Washington estimates up to 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow paying the Cuban government roughly $25,000 per soldier.

"They're part of the Putin meat grinder. They're learning about Iranian tactics. It's something we have to plan for," the senior official said.

On Sunday, Cuban Embassy officials reposted a statement on X from Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who accused U.S. government officials of creating "a fraudulent case to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and the eventual military aggression."

The statement from Rodriguez went on to accuse U.S. officials of "fabricating pretexts, creating and spreading falsehoods, and distorting as extraordinary the logical preparation required to face a potential aggression."