Trump quickly put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
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This signals a return to the hostile attitude that characterized his first term.
The Trump administration quickly reinstated Cuba on the US government's list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing a deadline set by President Joe Biden at the end of his term.
The announcement, which came without fanfare on Monday, was expected because Donald Trump had promised to cancel the oil branch to Cuba that the Biden administration had extended in an agreement to release political prisoners on the island.
Trump's action indicates that his administration is likely to resume the hostile stance toward Cuba that was a hallmark of his first term.
Marco Rubio, the new secretary of state, said during his confirmation speech that the administration plans to cancel the removal of Cuba from the terrorism list and restore other restrictions on the island. On Monday, the White House also reissued a list of "restricted entities" created under the first Trump administration. These Cuban entities, many of which are affiliated with the Cuban government, are exempt from certain financial transactions under U.S. law.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the measures "an act of arrogance and contempt for the truth" in a Facebook post and said that "the legitimate and noble cause of our people will prevail and we will succeed once again."
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla was also defiant. "It will hurt, but it will not weaken the strong resolve of our people," he said in X. It is worth noting that the Trump administration has not reversed the Biden administration's decision to suspend Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, a provision that was created to allow Cuban exiles to file lawsuits against Havana for assets and property seized during the Cuban Revolution but has since been used primarily by multinational corporations. Biden's moves were announced as part of a Vatican-brokered prisoner release that freed hundreds of Cubans jailed in connection with massive anti-government protests in July 2021. Those freed included José Daniel Ferrer and other dissidents.
The Trump administration's reason for the policy change was not immediately clear. Republicans had argued that the Biden administration had not provided sufficient justification to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The Biden administration emphasized the withdrawal of Colombia's opposition to Cuba's decision to shelter the commanders of a left-wing Colombian guerrilla group blamed for recent terrorist attacks. But Havana continues to offer refuge to these commanders, and peace negotiations between Bogotá and this guerrilla failed this weekend.
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