The United States State Department on Monday released a 100-page report titled “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism,” alleging that the Cuban government has waged a decades-long campaign of espionage, subversion, and ideological influence against the United States. According to the document, Havana “infiltrated the highest reaches of the US government, recruited and cultivated generations of American activists, and backed an unprecedented wave of left-wing terrorism on American soil.” The report further claims that Cuba operates as a hub for intelligence activities by China, Russia, and Iran, with Beijing alone running three signals-intelligence facilities on the island.

Viewed from Washington, the report—presented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio—frames Cuba’s actions as a sustained assault on US institutions. It singles out American left-wing organisations such as the Democratic Socialists of America and individuals including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, describing them as part of a network of “front groups and fellow travelers.” The document also references Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s past membership in the M-19 guerrilla movement, which it says received Cuban training and support. Havana rejected the accusations, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stating that the US military doctrine accelerates a global arms race and that the report is a pretext to justify tightening the economic embargo. Cuba denied hosting foreign military bases and insisted that only the Cuban people can decide their future.

The report coincides with an intensification of US pressure on Cuba, including an effective oil embargo that has contributed to repeated nationwide blackouts, new sanctions on state-owned entities, and President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions that Cuba could be the next target after the US-backed removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Analysts in Washington note that the document contains little new intelligence, relying heavily on previously known espionage cases and media reports, but it serves to consolidate a narrative linking Havana to domestic US political movements ahead of midterm elections. The allegations about Chinese and Russian intelligence facilities, while not new, underscore the geopolitical dimension of the confrontation, with the State Department asserting that Beijing and Moscow regard their Cuban sites as among their “most critical foreign listening posts.”

The report marks a sharp departure from the Obama-era rapprochement and a continuation of the Trump administration’s policy of maximum pressure. It revives Cold War-era rhetoric, describing Cuba’s actions as “a revolution against Western civilization itself.” The Cuban government, already grappling with severe economic and energy crises, has vowed to resist, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel stating readiness to defend the island “to the last drop of blood.” The dossier does not announce new sanctions, but it lays the groundwork for further measures; the US Justice Department is reportedly preparing an indictment against former President Raúl Castro, and a recent US-hosted ministerial meeting on left-wing terrorism drew participation from 66 countries, signalling a push to broaden international isolation of Havana.