Bruno Rodríguez Mocks U.S. Aircraft Carrier Threat: "What Will We Do with That Huge Chunk of Metal?"

Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, responded with sarcasm on Saturday to President Donald Trump's threat to dispatch the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near Cuban shores, questioning, "What will we do with that huge chunk of metal?"

Rodríguez's remarks were made during the International Solidarity with Cuba Meeting, titled "For a World Without Blockade: Active Solidarity on Fidel's Centennial," held at Havana's Convention Palace. This occurred a day after Trump painted a scenario where the warship would halt approximately 100 yards from Cuba's coast, compelling the Cuban regime to surrender.

Quoting the U.S. President, Rodríguez recounted, "Returning from Iran, we'll have one of our greats, perhaps the USS Abraham Lincoln, the largest in the world, come to a stop about 100 yards, or 90 meters, from Cuba's coast, and the Cubans will say, thank you, we surrender."

In response to this scenario, the Foreign Minister derisively suggested, "Could it be transformed into a bulk carrier or a tanker for international trade? Today, Cubans are also joking that it could become a dance floor," he quipped.

Rodríguez also referenced another comment from Trump that night about "a place called Cuba, which we will take control of almost immediately."

He cautioned that any military action would have dire repercussions. "Cuba would become a hornet's nest, a death trap. It would be the scene of a people's war if American imperialism dared to attack us," he warned.

This rhetoric unfolds amid the most intense escalation in U.S.-Cuba relations in decades. On May 1, Trump signed a new executive order that significantly broadens sanctions against the island, introducing secondary sanctions for the first time on foreign companies and banks operating with Cuban entities in sectors like energy, defense, mining, and finance.

Rodríguez described the energy blockade imposed by Washington as "an act of war," akin to a naval blockade as defined by international law.

He also recalled a radio interview from January 8 where Trump admitted to having exhausted his arsenal of economic pressure. "I don't think you can exert much more pressure than going in and destroying everything," he noted.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, mentioned by Trump, is currently deployed in the Northern Arabian Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

Trump stated that any deployment to Cuba would depend on the completion of these operations. "I like to finish one job first," he remarked.

Rodríguez confirmed that Cuba has initiated exchanges with the Trump administration but emphasized that Cuba's internal political and economic systems are not up for negotiation.

"We will never discuss with the United States issues that pertain solely to the sovereignty, independence, and self-determination of Cubans," he asserted.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel also countered Trump's threats with a similar message. "No aggressor, no matter how powerful, will find surrender in Cuba," he declared.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned days earlier that "the Cuban regime only has two destinies: neither good," representing the toughest stance Washington has taken toward Havana in recent years.