Cuba's foreign minister calls US threat claim 'absurd' amid oil squeeze

Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Cuba's foreign minister, said on Wednesday it was "absurd" for the US State Department to describe Cuba as a threat to the United States.

Rodriguez said on social media that Cuba, a relatively small developing country under what he called a "brutal" economic blockade, is being portrayed as a threat to the world's largest military, technological and economic power.

On Tuesday, the Republican-led US Senate blocked a Democratic-backed resolution that would have required Trump to seek congressional approval before taking military action against Cuba.

Over the past three months, the US has moved to cut off Cuba's oil supply by halting shipments from key suppliers such as Venezuela and pressuring countries like Mexico with tariff threats after President Donald Trump warned in late January of new measures against nations providing fuel to the island.

The energy blockade has triggered severe shortages, straining public services from power generation and agriculture to water supply. The national healthcare system is also under mounting pressure, with blackouts disrupting ambulance services and operating rooms. 

As international concern grows, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly pushed back on April 20 against potential US intervention in Cuba, while Brazil, Spain and Mexico pledged more aid to alleviate what they described as a humanitarian crisis on the island.