Flag decoration in the Cuban capital Havana prior to the visit of US President Barack Obama (March 2016)
Photo: Ernesto Mastrascusa / dpa
Shortly before the end of President Donald Trump's term in office, his administration put Cuba back on the US terrorist list.
This was announced by the US State Department in Washington.
"With this measure we will again hold the Cuban government accountable and send a clear message: The Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and the infiltration of the US justice system," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The move is likely to complicate the efforts of the future administration of Joe Biden to resume the rapprochement between neighboring states initiated by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.
The Obama administration removed the socialist country from the US list of terrorist supporters in 2015 and visited Havana in March 2016.
Washington had thus removed an important obstacle in the diplomatic rapprochement of neighboring states after decades of ice age.
Under Trump, relations between the United States and Cuba had suddenly deteriorated again.
After alleged sound wave attacks, Washington withdrew most of its diplomatic staff from the Havana embassy.
In addition, the US government withdrew most of the easing of the economic embargo.
The Trump administration accuses the Cuban government of suppressing its own people and supporting Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro.
Pompeo raises serious allegations against the Cuban leadership
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the reason for the classification that the Cuban leadership was displaying "a number of malicious behavior in the region" - particularly with regard to Venezuela.
The government supported Maduro in maintaining his "stranglehold" over his people and created a "permissive" environment for international terrorists.
In general, Pompeo raised serious allegations against the Cuban leadership.
For decades, the Cuban government has been feeding and sheltering murderers, bomb-makers and kidnappers and providing them with medical care, while many Cubans are starving, homeless and lacking essentials, he complained.
The US State Department move is widely seen as a political maneuver prior to the change in power in Washington.
Iran, Syria and North Korea are currently on the list.
The list means that US development aid, arms exports and certain financial transactions are restricted for the respective countries.
Sudan was recently removed from the list.
Cuba came on the index in 1982, among other things because it had given shelter to members of the Basque underground organization Eta and the Colombian guerrilla group Farc.
In the closing stages of Trump's term in office, his administration made several major decisions in foreign policy that set the future President Biden a fait accompli.
The US government has just targeted an ally of Iran in the civil war country of Yemen: Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo announced on Sunday evening in Washington that he wanted to classify the Yemeni Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization.
Aid organizations warned that the move would have far-reaching effects on the already great humanitarian need in Yemen.
Washington had previously recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, surprisingly.
A senior US diplomat visited the disputed area under international law last weekend.
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kfr / dpa