Díaz-Canel calls US policy a 'coldly calculated genocide' and likens officials to Nazis in Moncada speech

Speech at Moncada anniversary

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel used the 73rd anniversary of the assault on the Moncada barracks to launch his sharpest attack yet on the United States. Speaking in Pinar del Río on 26 July 2026, he called Washington's policy a 'coldly calculated genocide' and compared State Department officials to Nazis. The event, held under the slogan 'Mi Moncada es la patria', drew senior government and Communist Party figures but not former president Raúl Castro or his grandson Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the unofficial channel to Washington.

“Los funcionarios del Departamento de Estado, expertos en redactar sanciones, hacer listas e inventar pretextos, son una versión moderna de los redactores de edictos y bandos militares que tanto se hicieron temer y odiar en los oscuros tiempos medievales o en las ocupaciones nazis en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.”

Sanctions and 'maximum suffocation'

The speech came less than a week after the US announced new sanctions against nine entities and two individuals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures target those who 'perpetuate the regime's control over the energy, financial and medical labour exploitation sectors abroad'. Díaz-Canel called the latest round a record of infamy because it hits Cuba's overseas medical missions, which Havana describes as international solidarity and Washington labels modern slavery. The oil blockade in force since January and successive waves of secondary sanctions form what the president called a campaign of 'maximum economic asphyxia'.

“Las últimas sanciones rompen el récord de la infamia al dirigirse contra funcionarios de salud pública y contra los servicios médicos cubanos.”

Regional parallels and warning

Díaz-Canel placed Cuba in a chain of US targets, warning that no country is safe. He listed Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as previous victims and said Cuba is not the first nor will it be the last. The rhetoric marked a departure from earlier months, when he had repeatedly signalled a willingness for dialogue between equals. On this occasion there was no mention of possible contacts or an olive branch.

“Antes fueron Gaza, Líbano e Irán. Hoy es Cuba. Mañana puede ser cualquier otra nación.”

Domestic crisis and absent leadership

The pressure has translated into a severe energy crisis. Blackouts lasting more than 30 hours in Havana and several days in the provinces have become routine, and the country suffered three nationwide outages in July alone. Tourism and foreign currency inflows have collapsed, and many foreign companies have left. Díaz-Canel acknowledged the island is living through 'one of the most difficult moments in its history' and spoke of 'deep and necessary changes', though he offered no specifics. The absence of Raúl Castro and his grandson, who has served as a backchannel to Washington, underscored the hardening of Havana's posture.

“Es ilegal y es criminal martirizar a un pueblo sólo para provocar que se rebele contra su Gobierno.”

No path to dialogue

Unlike previous Moncada addresses, this speech contained no call for talks. Díaz-Canel demanded that the US let Cuba 'live in peace' but framed the confrontation as an existential battle. With sanctions tightening and the energy grid faltering, the speech signalled that Havana sees little room for negotiation under the current US administration.