Cuba calls US nuclear submarine in Guantanamo Bay ‘provocative escalation’
- Cuba said the submarine was at the American naval base in Guantanamo Bay from July 5 to July 8
- Cuba has long called for the US to close its 121-year-old naval base on the eastern part of the island
Cuban authorities on Tuesday said the US recently had a nuclear-powered submarine at its military base at Guantanamo Bay and called the action a “provocative escalation” of tensions weeks after Washington alleged that there was a Chinese spy base on the island.
“The presence of a nuclear submarine there at this moment makes it imperative to wonder what is the military reason behind this action in this peaceful region of the world,” Cuba’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Washington did not confirm that there was a submarine at the naval base.
The ministry did not specify whether the submarine was armed. It said it was at the base from July 5 to July 8.
The US State Department declined to give information about movements of military assets. It said Cuba was looking to distract from the two-year anniversary of the largest street protests seen in Cuba since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution. On Monday, Cuba had accused the US of inciting that unrest.
“Attempts by the Cuban government to distract the world from the significance of this day are transparent and risible,” a State Department official said.
The White House and US Department of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.