CIA director visits Cuba as island faces severe energy crisis

The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency visited Cuba on Thursday, marking an extraordinary escalation in contact between Washington and the communist-run island nation.

The visit comes as Cuba faces severe shortages and has declared itself out of oil, compounding economic pressure on the country amid continued US sanctions. The meeting represents an unusual diplomatic step at the intelligence level, suggesting potential high-level engagement between the two nations.

Cuba has endured decades of US economic embargoes and sanctions, which Havana attributes to its fuel and resource shortages. The CIA visit indicates Washington is actively monitoring and potentially engaging with developments on the island.