US chose ‘dangerous path’ that could lead to 'bloodbath in Cuba,' says Havana’s top diplomat

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Thursday that the US chose a "dangerous path" that could lead to a "bloodbath in Cuba," adding that there has been "no progress" in talks between the two nations.

In an interview with ABC News in Havana, Rodriguez said he takes US President Donald Trump’s threats "very seriously," adding that Cuba will "exercise its right for its legitimate defense to the very last consequences" if attacked militarily.

"It seems that the US government has chosen a dangerous path, a path that could lead to unimaginable consequences, to humanitarian catastrophe, to a genocide, to the loss of Cuban and young American lives, it could also lead to a bloodbath in Cuba," he said.

Speaking in Florida last week, Trump said that after the operation in Iran, "Cuba is going to be next," and that the US will be "taking over Cuba almost immediately."

Rodriguez said: "Cuba is not a threat to the US, national security or foreign policy or economy or the American way of life," adding that there has been no progress in talks with the US.

"I can tell you that I see no progress," Rodriguez said, adding that Havana is ready “for talking on many different bilateral issues," but issues related to Cuba's political system or internal affairs are "not on the table."

Separately, on Thursday, Cuba condemned new sanctions and restrictions imposed by the US, accusing Washington of escalating its economic blockade against the island to “extreme and unprecedented levels.”

The Cuban government also rejected an executive order signed by the White House on May 1 that tightens economic, financial, and commercial restrictions against Cuba, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Cuba is facing a fuel crisis following a US oil embargo imposed on Jan. 30, alongside widespread power outages.