Washington scolds Cuba after crowds heckle U.S. diplomat

The United States on Sunday (February 1, 2026) accused Cuba of interfering with the work of ‍its top diplomat in Havana after small groups of Cubans jeered ​at him during meetings with residents and church representatives ‌outside the capital. Amid rising tensions between the two ​countries, the State Department on social media accused the Cuban government of “failed intimidation tactics,” and it demanded that Havana stop “sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work” of U.S. Charge d’Affaires Mike Hammer.

Friction has increased between the long-time foes after U.S. President Donald Trump last week declared Cuba “an ​unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and ⁠said he would slap tariffs on any country that delivered oil to the communist-run Caribbean island.

Mr. Trump on Sunday (February 1, 2026) said Cuba was “a failing nation” but added: “I ​think we’re going to ⁠make a deal with Cuba.”

Mr. Hammer, a career diplomat who arrived in Cuba in late 2024, has travelled the island widely to meet with political dissidents, Catholic Church representatives ‌and others. The Cuban government accuses him of seeking ‌to foment unrest.

On Saturday (January 31, 2026), he posted a video describing alleged harassment following a meeting with ‍local church leaders.

“When I left the parish, a few communists, surely frustrated by how bad the revolution is going, shouted ‍obscenities at me,” Mr. Hammer said in the video on social media.

Subsequently, several more videos surfaced showing small groups of people in two locations during nighttime blackouts, taunting Mr. Hammer with cries of “Assassin!” and “Imperialist!”

Reuters could not identify the individuals in the videos, and Cuba’s government has not commented on them.

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry last year complained to Mr. Hammer about behaviour it said was “interventionist” ⁠and alleged he incited Cubans to commit crimes and attack the state.

The U.S. Embassy, which produces ​the videos, has denied those charges and says Mr. Hammer is simply ⁠doing his job.

The two neighbouring countries have been at odds since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, but a crippling economic crisis on the island and stepped up pressure from the Trump administration have recently brought the conflict ⁠to a head.