Jeb Bush raises alarm over Iranian drones in Cuba

International Jeb Bush raises alarm over Iranian drones in Cuba Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 07/09/26 2:19 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 07/09/26 2:19 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Wednesday raised the alarm over Iranian drones believed to be in Cuba.

“Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel,” Bush said during a United Against Nuclear Iran event, serving as the group’s chair. “And now, we see that it’s not just Israel and the United States, but the Gulf region as well. I also want to point out that the press reports that there are 300 of these [drones] in Cuba.”

He said the U.S. has capabilities to protect the country before adding that “drones organize in clusters and can get through the defense capabilities, as we’ve seen in the Middle East as well.”

“I think it’s important to recognize that Iran has consistently been working with Cuba, Venezuela prior to the departure of Maduro from the regime, creating instability in not just in Cuba, but certainly in the region,” Bush said, referring to deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

He praised the current administration’s efforts against Iran’s military capabilities, saying “we’re on the verge of creating a much more peaceable world by standing up against this aggression.”

Bush had for years drawn a hard line on Cuba. Before his 2016 Republican bid for the presidency, he shared then-Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) sentiment that the U.S. should not negotiate with Cuba and ease relations. Bush has been held in high regard by Florida’s Cuban exile population.

“The idea of unilaterally changing our policy in return for nothing, I think, would yield nothing,” he told The New York Times in 2014.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) joined Bush to emphasize the drones’ capacity to carry heavy explosive payloads over long distances, NBC 6 South Florida reported.

“This particular model, there is about over 100 pounds of explosives,” he said. “That’s a pretty big bang. That’s why they call them kamikaze drones — they crash into their target and they explode.”

Gimenez told WPLG Local 10, a Florida-based outlet, that these drones have “a range of about 2,500 kilometers, which from Cuba can reach all the way to New York.”

In May, Axios reported that Cuba acquired more than 300 military drones and discussed plans to attack the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay or Key West, Fla., citing classified intelligence. One unnamed senior U.S. official told the outlet that the buildup is a “growing threat.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month warned during a visit to Guantánamo Bay that U.S. forces were “postured for any possible contingency.”

The Trump administration has sought to pressure Cuba’s regime toward reform, imposing a blockade to prevent energy resources from reaching the island country for months. Cubans have endured sweeping blackouts, with many taking to the streets in protest against the government’s actions.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned against any U.S. military intervention following the publication of the Axios story, warning of a “bloodbath with incalculable consequences” if there is an attack.