US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused Cuba of helping Iran and other adversaries to attack the US, as he announced sanctions against a Cuban state-owned bank claimed to have provided financial services to an Iranian lender.
Banco Internacional de Comercio has provided services to Iran’s Karafarin Bank since at least 2022, Mr Rubio said in a statement. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Karafarin Bank in 2020.
“For too long, Communist Cuba has been allowed to operate as an outpost for malign actors and terror groups – including the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
For too long, Communist Cuba has been allowed to operate as an outpost for malign actors and terror groups – including the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism – to target the United States.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 15, 2026
Today, I designated BICSA, a Cuban financial…
The designation was announced alongside Treasury Department measures against Iranian financial networks, as the US administration of President Donald Trump seeks to restrict Tehran’s access to international finance.
Mr Rubio said Washington would continue to identify and dismantle Cuba’s financial and security links with Iran and other states, and those it considers hostile.