Cuba's Ambassador to the U.S. Lianys Torres Rivera said recent sanctions against the country's leadership are a "pretext" to conduct a military intervention.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Torres Rivera said the measures seek to convince the American people that "we are a threat."
"We are not a threat to the U.S., and we don't want confrontation," she added, claiming that Washington is already conducting a "war without bombs" through economic pressure.
Cuban leader Raul Castro was indicted last month over the downing of two civilian aircraft in the 1990s. According to the indictment, Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft.
Torres Rivera called Castro a "sacred symbol of the revolution" and said the country will defend him and the country "until the end."
"If we are attacked, we are going to respond, and we are prepared for that. But we don't want it," she said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has made similar remarks, saying that the accusation "reveals the arrogance and frustration felt by the representatives of the empire in the face of the unshakable resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership."
"This is a political action with no legal basis whatsoever, aimed solely at adding to the fabricated case file they are building to justify the recklessness of a military aggression against Cuba," he added.
The U.S. has been imposing additional sanctions, including against military conglomerate GAESA, which controls several areas of the Cuban economy.
Another report claimed recently that the Trump administration believes the Cuban regime could collapse as early as this summer and is drafting military response plans in case that scenario leads to internal chaos.
Axios detailed that the U.S. government seeks to continue putting pressure on Havana to cause its failure, rather than resorting to military action. "The best way to describe it is 'accelerationism,' " a senior official told the outlet.
"But we don't want to kill off the regime just yet. There's a method to this. It's in stages," the official added. Another one said "we have a pretty deep toolbox, especially when it comes to sanctions and enforcing them" and anticipated that "more is on the way."
President Donald Trump said in May that there won't be additional escalation in Cuba because he doesn't think "there needs to be."
