Trump expected to return Cuba to U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism -source

The Trump administration plans to return Cuba to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, a move that could complicate any efforts by the incoming Biden administration to improve relations with Havana.

The Trump administration plans to return Cuba to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, a move that could complicate any efforts by the incoming Biden administration to improve relations with Havana. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who could announce Cuba's designation as soon as Monday, is expected to tie the decision to Cuba's long-time harboring of U.S. fugitives as well as Colombian rebel leaders, the source said. He may also cite Communist-ruled Cuba's support for Venezuelan socialist President Nicolas Maduro, the source said.

Returning Cuba to the list is a further rollback of the detente that former President Barack Obama orchestrated between the old Cold War foes. Obama's decision to formally remove Cuba from the terrorism list in 2015 was an important step toward restoring diplomatic ties that year. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has clamped down on Cuba since coming to power in 2017, tightening restrictions on U.S. travel and remittances to Cuba and imposing sanctions on shipments of Venezuelan oil to the island.

The administration also made it harder for Cubans to visit family in Florida by reducing its Havana embassy to skeletal staffing and shutting down the consular section in the wake of mysterious illnesses among its diplomats. President-elect Joe Biden, who was Obama's vice president, said during the 2020 election campaign that he would promptly reverse policies on Cuba enacted by Trump that "have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights."

But the Trump administration's decision could make it more difficult for Biden to resume rapprochement with Cuba when he takes office on Jan. 20. Syria, Iran and North Korea are other countries on the list.