Cuba on Tuesday said the docking of a nuclear-powered submarine at Guantanamo Bay last week was a “provocative escalation” from the U.S., and officials in Washington dismissed the incident as a routine and scheduled stop.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the American submarine arrived at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, a piece of U.S. territory, on July 5 and remained there until July 8.
“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, what target is it aiming at and what is the strategic purpose it pursues,” Cuban officials said in a statement.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a Tuesday briefing that the U.S. does not discuss the movement of military assets.
But Miller stressed the U.S. “will continue to fly and sail and otherwise move military assets wherever it is appropriate to do so under international law.”
A U.S. defense official told The Associated Press that a Navy submarine made a scheduled logistics stop at Guantanamo Bay before heading over for a maritime exercise, UNITAS.
Cuba also called for the U.S. to relinquish its control over Guantanamo Bay, which it considers an illegal occupation. Washington has permanently leased the territory from Havana since 1903.
U.S.-Cuba relations have historically been low but have soured in recent weeks amid reports that China has hosted a spy base in the island nation since 2019.
Tuesday was marked by the second anniversary of the historic Cuba protests, which saw thousands of Cubans speak out against an ongoing economic crisis.
The U.S. operates a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
This year, the Biden administration announced a deal, known as AUKUS, to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Washington also plans to send a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time since 1981.