MIAMI — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly urged Cubans seeking political change to cooperate with the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday. The CIA’s official X account later posted the same message, with an accompanying graphic. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, that the United States would “take care” of the Communist regime after its operations in Iran.

Rubio posted on X:

“To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time.” He cited “the disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few.” He urged Cubans to “seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.”

The CIA Echoes the Call

The CIA’s verified X account (@CIA) published the same text, which X displayed as translated from Spanish. The post carried a blue graphic of the agency’s seal, with a chain encircling a keyhole, captioned “Contacte a la CIA” (“Contact the CIA”).

The CIA, the State Department, the White House and the Cuban Embassy in Washington did not provide further comments.

Trump at Fort Myers

Speaking Friday to Republican supporters in Fort Myers, Florida ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Trump too emphasiezed:

“We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran.” He suggested a U.S. ship would stop near the island and that Cubans would “raise up their hands.” He added: “And then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.”

Havana Responds

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the statements on X, “We reject every threat over U.S. ambitions toward Cuba,” he wrote. Rodríguez Parrilla warned that Cuba’s coasts have beaches but also sharp, rocky “diente de perro” formations that would be inhospitable to anyone arriving with hostile aims.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former Florida senator, has long pushed for a tougher approach to Havana and opposed normalizing relations without political reforms.

The State Department said in early October that talks with the Cuban government were ongoing. The department said Havana had been unwilling to accept anything that would help Cubans and threaten its “total control,” and that Washington wants “far more substantial” economic and political reforms.

In May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Raúl Castro’s grandson in Havana.

The CIA has not said what a “partnership” would involve. The White House has not clarified whether Trump’s remarks signal a policy shift. Rubio’s open call for Cubans to work with the agency is unusual in its public framing.