Photo of Fidel Castro meeting with Iran president sparks outrage in US

HAVANA, Cuba. – A photo of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Monday during a state visit has sparked outrage in the U.S.

Many critics have voiced their concern that the U.S. is engaging with Cuba, while Cuba is engaging with America's enemy.

"The message here is Cuba has not changed," Sebastian Arcos, of Florida International’s Cuban Research Institute, said.

Arcos is an expert on Cuba and its human rights issues.

He said the Castro regime simply wants to remind the world that they're still friends with the enemies of the U.S., like Iran and North Korea.

"It is a clear signal of where the Cubans stand in this process of normalization, and it's a slap in the face of the process of normalization," Arcos said.

Frank Mora heads FIU's Latin American and Caribbean Center and was once an Obama administration official, who advocated for the president's engagement policy toward Cuba.  

Mora said one has to look at the larger picture that Iran is not in the position to bail out the Cuban economy.

"From a practical standpoint, it really doesn't mean anything," Mora said. "There is nothing beyond a pat on the back and telling you, 'We're in cahoots with the anti-imperialist struggle,' but it doesn't go beyond that."

Mora said there is no denying that Iran supports terrorism in the Middle East and is an enemy to the U.S., but said that when it comes to Latin America, including Cuba, the country's commitment is minimal.


About the Author:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.