US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States has done “nothing punitive” against the Cuban government, saying the current humanitarian situation on the island preceded recent actions by the administration of US President Donald Trump in the Caribbean.Speaking to Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview on Monday, which largely focused on Iran, Rubio maintained that the government in Havana was to blame for Cuba’s current woes.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“We’ve tried to explain it to anyone who will listen. Their system doesn’t work, their system of economics,” Rubio said. “It’s completely dysfunctional. It’s just not a real system, and you can’t change it unless you change the government.”Rubio pointed to US pressure on Venezuela to stop shipping oil to Cuba following the military abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January.“We’ve done nothing punitive against the Cuban regime. They claim we have, but we haven’t. The only thing that’s changed for the Cuban regime is they’re not getting free Venezuelan oil anymore,” Rubio said. “They’re not getting subsidies anymore. That’s the only thing that’s changed.”The top US diplomat did not reference Trump’s executive order in late January, threatening sanctions against any country that provides oil to Cuba. Washington has also maintained a decades-long trade embargo on the island.On Sunday, Trump appeared to loosen the US position on fuel shipments, even as he again appeared to float military action against Cuba.“If a country wants to send so …
