The United States has addressed a deadly confrontation that saw four people aboard a Florida-registered speedboat killed by Cuban authorities in Caribbean waters. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is seeking urgent clarification from Cuba following the confrontation, with Washington warning it will “respond accordingly” once the facts are established.
Rubio confirmed that American authorities are investigating the Wednesday, February 25, incident after Cuban officials reported that their border forces opened fire on a vessel that had allegedly entered Cuban territorial waters.
Speaking to reporters in Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Secretary of State said U.S. agencies had immediately begun examining the incident after being notified by Cuban authorities.
“This morning, we were made aware by Cuban authorities of an incident off the coast of Cuba. We immediately began to look into it,” Rubio said.
United States vows to “respond accordingly”
He explained that multiple U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Coast Guard, are now involved in determining what happened and whether the victims were American citizens.
Rubio further noted that most of the information currently available has come from Cuban officials, and Washington is working to verify the details independently.
According to Cuban authorities, the boat was registered in Florida — a detail the Secretary of State said U.S. investigators are trying to confirm.
He added that the United States expects to learn more about the incident soon and warned that Washington could take action depending on the findings.
“We have our embassy on the ground in Havana working this as we speak, asking for access to the people that were on those vessels if they were American citizens or permanent residents. As we gather more information, we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly. I’m not going speculate. I’m not going to opine on what I don’t know but we gonna find out what happened here and then we will respond accordingly.”
According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the incident occurred early on February 25 when Cuban authorities detected a fast-moving vessel inside Cuban territorial waters near the El Pino channel in Villa Clara province.
The ministry earlier in a statement said the boat had approached within one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel in the Cayo Falcones area before border forces moved in to identify the vessel.
According to the ministry, shots were fired from the speedboat toward Cuban personnel as border guards approached, leaving the commander of the Cuban vessel injured.
Cuban authorities said four people aboard the boat were killed during the confrontation, while six others were wounded and taken for treatment.
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The government described the incident as a defensive operation and said Cuba would continue protecting its territorial waters and sovereignty.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban State in support of safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the statement reads.
“Investigations continue by the competent authorities for the full clarification of the facts.”
Cuba has since claimed that the passengers on the U.S. speedboat were armed Cubans living in the United States who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism according to AP.
White House monitoring incident
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the administration is closely monitoring the situation but acknowledged that limited information is currently available.
“Marco briefed me about 15 minutes ago on it, but we don’t know a whole lot of details,” Vance said while speaking to reporters in Washington.
“Hopefully, it’s not as bad as we fear it could be, but I can’t say more because I just don’t know more.”
U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez on his part condemned the incident and called for an immediate investigation, accusing the Cuban government of carrying out a deadly attack on a U.S.-registered vessel.
The Florida lawmaker in a statement said the incident raises serious concerns about the use of lethal force against individuals aboard a vessel linked to the United States, adding he has requested additional information from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. military as investigations continue.
Washington increasing pressure on Cuba
The deadly confrontation comes as Washington intensifies pressure on Havana amid shifting geopolitical dynamics across the Western Hemisphere.
Secretary Rubio, a Cuban American who has long criticized Cuba’s government, is attending a summit of Caribbean leaders in Saint Kitts and Nevis, where the situation in Cuba is expected to feature prominently in discussions.
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The meeting follows major developments in the region, including the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy toward the Western Hemisphere.
After attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday, Rubio traveled overnight to the Caribbean summit, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to visit Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The United States is seeking continued regional cooperation on Venezuela and Haiti while also addressing concerns about Cuba’s worsening economic situation.
Speaking during the summit, Rubio said Cuba’s economic problems stem from what he described as a failed economic system.
“The reason why things are as bad as they are is because they have an economic model that does not exist, that does not work,” Rubio said.
“And the only way Cuba’s gonna have a better future is if it has a different economic model.”
Rubio pointed to earlier U.S. policies that supported Cuba’s private sector and independent entrepreneurs as part of a strategy to weaken state control over the economy.
Regional leaders including Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew have expressed concern that worsening conditions in Cuba could destabilize the Caribbean and trigger increased migration flows toward the United States.
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