Iran lists conditions for reopening Hormuz as Oman talks continueGulf states condemn missile strike on Adnoc tanker in HormuzOpenAI pauses part of Astra work over cyber capabilitiesTurkey likens Mecca defence pact to NATO's Article 5Russian drones kill boy and grandparents near KyivTyphoon Dolphin heads for eastern China after hitting OkinawaYemen's army counterattacks after Houthi strikes on MaribSpain checks arrivals from Italy as Ceuta row splits SchengenBritish Columbia declares emergency as wildfire forces 20,000 to fleeUS strategic oil reserve at lowest level since 1983 as Hormuz stays shutGermany warns of daily hybrid warfare after Leipzig drone incidentCIA expands Cuba operations as US widens regime-change pushPentagon orders industry to accelerate weapons output as interceptor stocks thinUS Senate approves new Russia sanctions billZelensky says US will supply interceptor missiles monthlySaudi Arabia drawn deeper into the war with IranMore than 178,000 migrants leave South 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pushes for trade deal before Trump's 50 percent tariffNvidia plans multibillion investment in AI partnerAmazon funds private Texas gas plant for its data centresArgentine security forces injure more than 1,500 at Congress protestUS stocks close at records after soft jobs reportAmazon deforestation hits ten-year low as logging shifts to BoliviaUkrainian strikes on Wildberries test Russia's richest businesswomanBus collision in Niger kills at least 22China's factory-gate inflation eases to three-month lowNationalisations return as states reclaim strategic firmsFrench farm union demands billions in aid after drought and heatwavesIndia tests home-built Kusha air-defence missileTaiwan slows its internet for wartime drillIsraeli settler attacks rise as West Bank residents lose landLeaking tanker off Oman sinks deeperExperts call Burhan's pledge to defeat RSF this year too ambitiousIran lists conditions for reopening Hormuz as Oman talks continueGulf states condemn missile strike on Adnoc tanker in HormuzOpenAI pauses part of Astra work over cyber capabilitiesTurkey likens Mecca defence pact to NATO's Article 5Russian drones kill boy and grandparents near KyivTyphoon Dolphin heads for eastern China after hitting OkinawaYemen's army counterattacks after Houthi strikes on MaribSpain checks arrivals from Italy as Ceuta row splits SchengenBritish Columbia declares emergency as wildfire forces 20,000 to fleeUS strategic oil reserve at lowest level since 1983 as Hormuz stays shutGermany warns of daily hybrid warfare after Leipzig drone incidentCIA expands Cuba operations as US widens regime-change pushPentagon orders industry to accelerate weapons output as interceptor stocks thinUS Senate approves new Russia sanctions billZelensky says US will supply interceptor missiles monthlySaudi Arabia drawn deeper into the war with IranMore than 178,000 migrants leave South AfricaTurkish parliament passes bill on peace with Kurdish rebelsThai school shooting toll rises to nine after girl diesDrone explodes near Bulgarian gas pipelineUkrainian drones wound 13 in Belgorod and set refinery ablazeTurkey moves to restrict Black Sea shipping after attacks on its vesselsBomb attack in Colombia follows new president's inaugurationUS Senate advances landmark crypto bill as opposition hardensUS calls China's Scarborough Shoal rules destabilisingVance says US destroyed Iran's nuclear programme as top general seeks off-rampDeadly protests in Kashmir test Pakistan's military rulersHamas repeats readiness for US Gaza plan as Israel holds backRussia claims capture of Ivanovka and strikes on ships at Ukrainian portsCrews recover 19 bodies from Gaza rubbleZelensky puts North Korean troops backing Russia at up to 50,000ADF attack kills at least 13 in DR CongoWitkoff and Kushner may travel to Kyiv and MoscowLebanon reports Israeli incursion as army probes deadly blastCanada pushes for trade deal before Trump's 50 percent tariffNvidia plans multibillion investment in AI partnerAmazon funds private Texas gas plant for its data centresArgentine security forces injure more than 1,500 at Congress protestUS stocks close at records after soft jobs reportAmazon deforestation hits ten-year low as logging shifts to BoliviaUkrainian strikes on Wildberries test Russia's richest businesswomanBus collision in Niger kills at least 22China's factory-gate inflation eases to three-month lowNationalisations return as states reclaim strategic firmsFrench farm union demands billions in aid after drought and heatwavesIndia tests home-built Kusha air-defence missileTaiwan slows its internet for wartime drillIsraeli settler attacks rise as West Bank residents lose landLeaking tanker off Oman sinks deeperExperts call Burhan's pledge to defeat RSF this year too ambitious
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Symbolic image: CIA expands Cuba operations as US widens regime-change pushSymbolic image

CIA expands Cuba operations as US widens regime-change push

4 sources

The Trump administration is deepening its effort to force a leadership change in Havana, with the CIA expanding operations on the island and officials looking for a Cuban figure who could take power. New sanctions now reach the food supply chain.

What happened

  • Washington's campaign began a little over six months ago with a strict oil embargo; foreign-run hotels, the island's main income source, have closed.
  • In July the State Department sanctioned state importer GECOMEX and port operator GEMAR, raising compliance risks for food and equipment suppliers.
  • Over 7,000 containers bound for Havana are stranded after Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM suspended their Cuban operations.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced further sanctions on Thursday against five Cuban companies and eight officials, including the armed forces' chief of general staff.
  • A recent US intelligence document ranks Cuba a "priority 1" target alongside China, Iran and Russia.

The view from outside

Brazil's Folha, carrying New York Times reporting, says US agencies concluded Cuba resembles Iran more than Venezuela, with mainly hardline figures positioned near power. Jacobin notes the US remains one of Cuba's largest trading partners, exporting over $828 million in goods last year.

What could happen next

  • No Cuban official has been found willing to take over; Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez model has no identified equivalent in Havana.
  • El País reports that a military operation has not been ruled out.
  • Cuba's announced opening to private business fell short of US demands: buying US oil, market access, expelling Russian and Chinese agents.
How the camps see it

  • United States: Cuba's military and intelligence institutions enforce domestic repression and kleptocracy, and sanctions relief requires economic liberalisation and cooperation with Washington.

  • Cuba: Havana's UN envoy says Trump's 29 January executive order caused the fuel shortage and humanitarian crisis, and that Washington is justifying possible military aggression.

Also involved

Russia and China

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