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Cuban Leader Warns Of Potential 'Bloodbath' If US Takes Military Action

Zero Rss
2 months 4 weeks ago
Cuban Leader Warns Of Potential 'Bloodbath' If US Takes Military Action

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Cuba’s leader on Monday warned that any U.S. military action against the communist-controlled island nation would cause a “bloodbath” and lead to regional insecurity.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk, Belarus June 26, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS

“If it were to materialize, it would trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, plus the destructive impact on regional peace and stability,” Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a May 18 post on X, according to a translation. [ZH: We're sure Palantir and Anthropic calculated it in roughly 8 seconds...]

He also insisted that Cuba doesn’t pose any threat and doesn’t have “aggressive plans or intentions against any country,” but said that it has the “legitimate right to defend itself against a military onslaught.”

In recent months, the United States has imposed significant pressure on the country’s communist regime, blocking oil shipments from Venezuela following the U.S. military capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.

The Trump administration is pressing Cuba’s leadership to end political repression, release political prisoners, and liberalize its ailing economy.

That prompted Cuban Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy to announce on May 13 that the country had completely run out of diesel and heavy fuel oil, with its power grid entering a critical state. O Levy said Cuba had not received any oil imports since December 2025 until Russia sent about 700,000 barrels of crude oil last month.

A Cuban official on Sunday accused the U.S. government of creating a fabrication following an Axios report, citing what it said was classified intelligence that claimed Cuba has acquired hundreds of drones.

In a post on social media, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez wrote that “Cuba neither threatens nor desires war” and that the country “prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise ​of the right to legitimate self-defense recognized by the UN Charter.”

In a May 18 emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration will move “to protect Americans, our interests and our homeland from any threat.”

“President Trump ... has taken historic action to rid our backyard of uncontrolled migration, dangerous narco trafficking, organized crime, and hostile foreign military presence,” the department spokesperson added.

President Donald Trump has said that after the war with Iran, he will turn his attention to Cuba. He pledged “a new dawn for Cuba” during a speech at a Turning Point USA event in April.

During comments to reporters on May 15 aboard Air Force One, the U.S. president said that Cuba’s leadership “needs help, as you know, and you talk about a declining country—they are really a nation or a country in decline.”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other U.S. officials visited Cuba on May 14, at the invitation of the country’s communist regime, officials said. An official statement from Cuba’s regime noted that the meeting “took place ... against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department reiterated that the United States would provide Cuba with $100 million in humanitarian assistance and support for satellite internet services “if the Cuban regime will permit it.”

“The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assistance to the Cuban people, who are in desperate need of assistance due to the failures of Cuba’s corrupt regime,” the department said on May 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 21:45
Tyler Durden

Iran Teaching Civilians How To Shoot: Public Tutorials On State TV & In Marketplaces

Zero Rss
2 months 4 weeks ago
Iran Teaching Civilians How To Shoot: Public Tutorials On State TV & In Marketplaces

Amid stalled peace talks and ongoing tit-for-tat threats, Iranians are reportedly arming themselves in preparation a potential US ground invasion, or renewal of major military action in its skies.

CNN cameras captured individual citizens being given gun component lessons in the middle of streets and in busy bazaars. Also state TV has been featuring detailed tutorials and presentations on how to effectively use the AK-47.

"I am so ready to sacrifice my life for my country and for my people," one young woman named Tiana told a CNN correspondent this week during a pro-government rally.

"All the people, the whole army, all commanders that we have, they're ready to sacrifice their lives too, and ready to fight with their whole heart and soul," she added.

Another, identified as Fatima - who actually grew up in London and Dubai - stated that "We know this war isn’t over. We know Trump is not really going to negotiate." She added of the US leader, "He’s just going to be, like, 'You do what I tell you or I’m going to kill you.' And then he’s going to attack us even if we do as he says."

An elderly man further chimed in, "Trump knows we don’t have a bomb, but he is attacking us anyway," he said to the CNN crew.

While not often covered by Western mainstream press, there have been pro-government demonstrations stretching all the way back to January, even when massive anti-government and largely economically-driven protests and clashes with police were at their peak:

The rallies, or "night-gatherings" have been taking place across the country every evening for nearly three months, essentially since the start of the war.

CNN filmed the following:

CNN aired footage from Iran showing the Islamic regime instructing children on how to use AK-47 rifles. pic.twitter.com/KWXeGoFHlD

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 19, 2026

Meanwhile, Iranian state media is no doubt trying to signal the US and Israel that if a ground invasion ensues, a lasting insurgency would be unleashed - just as it did for years during the American-led occupation of neighboring Iraq.

On the eastern side of the border, in Afghanistan, it was a similar story, where the Taliban is actually now back in control after a two-decade long nation-building effort.

Below: Iran's State TV Is Teaching Civilians How to Shoot Iran's national television aired a segment showing an anchor being taught how to handle a firearm, with live instruction for a general audience. The lesson ended with the anchor raising the weapon and FIRING DIRECTLY at a UAE flag on set.

🇮🇷 Iran's State TV Is Teaching Civilians How to Shoot

Iran's national television aired a segment showing an anchor being taught how to handle a firearm, with live instruction for a general audience.

The lesson ended with the anchor raising the weapon and FIRING DIRECTLY at a… https://t.co/y2OYkLOMfl pic.twitter.com/lowCZIEJhX

— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) May 16, 2026

The card which Iran has to play is asymmetric and guerrilla warfare. It may have at this point lost most or all of its navy and air force, and much of its anti-air arsenal, but it remains formidable in terms of an ability to still inflict damage on US forces - enough to be politically or economically very costly for Washington.

This would remain true even if the US were to renew major operations. As one pundit has pointed out: "Endurance regimes do not need clean victory to change the game. They only need to survive the shock while making the old equilibrium too costly for their adversaries to restore." So 'winning' for Iran looks much different, compared to US objectives.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 21:20
Tyler Durden

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