U.S. government's charges against Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro are a "political maneuver" with no legal basis whatsoever, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Wednesday.
Diaz-Canel said on X that the charges "only reveal the arrogance and frustration of the empire's representatives in the face of the unwavering resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership."
Earlier on Wednesday, a grand jury from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida indicted Raul Castro for his alleged role in ordering the striking down of two planes operated by a Cuban exile group in the United States named "Brothers to the Rescue" in 1996.
This move is seen as the latest in a series of ongoing U.S. efforts to ramp up pressure on Cuba.
Diaz-Canel said the indictment is intended "solely to enlarge the file they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba."
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Southern Command announced via social media that the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group had entered the Caribbean Sea, accompanied by the destroyer USS Gridley and the supply ship USNS Patuxent.
The timing of the announcement coincided with heightened U.S. pressure on Cuba. Public opinion suggests that the deployment of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean is also part of Washington's broader pressure campaign against Cuba.
The United States has long imposed economic and financial embargoes as well as trade sanctions on Cuba.
After launching a large-scale military strike against Venezuela earlier this year, the U.S. further escalated its pressure on Cuba.
There are also interpretations that the indictment of Raul Castro is an election tactic by U.S. Republicans to win over certain voters in Florida ahead of this year's midterm elections.
Cuban president denounces US indictment against Raul Castro as 'political maneuver'
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is "in no hurry" to end the conflict with Iran and is willing to wait a few more days for "right answers" from Iran.
"We're in the final stages of Iran," Trump told reporters. "We'll see what happens."
"We'll either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty. But hopefully that won't happen," he added. The president claimed he is in "no hurry" to finalize a peace agreement with Iran, suggesting that he would not consider making a "limited deal" only focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
"We're going to give this one shot," Trump said of a potential deal, ruling out the idea of a partial compromise.
Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are aligned on the Iran issue, saying Netanyahu will do "whatever I want him to do."
The two also held a tense phone call on Tuesday, discussing a new effort to reach an agreement with Iran, Axios reported on Wednesday.
Trump told Netanyahu that mediators were drafting a "letter of intent" that both the U.S. and Iran would sign and launch a new round of negotiations of 30 days involving issues on Iran's nuclear program and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report.
However, Netanyahu is highly skeptical of the negotiations and wants to resume the war to further weaken Iran's military capabilities and destroy its key infrastructure, the report said.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that the IDF is currently on "maximum alert," and it is ready for any developments and will continue operations.
Meanwhile, a large number of U.S. refueling aircraft was spotted parking on the runway of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday. It is unclear how long these military aircraft have been stationed there.
The U.S. and Israel have completed joint preparations for a possible resumption of military operations against Iran, according to Israel's Kan TV, citing a U.S. security official.
Trump on Monday said in a post on Truth Social that he held off on the planned attacks on Iran Tuesday at the request of leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump says he is in 'no hurry' to end conflict with Iran
