Cuba's top diplomat to the United States said Tuesday that recent U.S. sanctions targeting Cuban leadership and the indictment of former President Raúl Castro represent a "pretext" for potential military intervention on the island.

Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, speaking at Cuba's embassy in Washington, accused the Trump administration of using the sanctions to convince Americans that Cuba poses a threat. "The sanctions against our leaders, we see as a pretext to make the American people think we are a threat," she said. "We are not a threat to the U.S., and we don't want confrontation."

The comments came following a federal grand jury indictment last month of the 95-year-old Castro on conspiracy and murder charges related to the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was serving as Cuba's defense minister at the time. Torres Rivera called Castro "a sacred symbol of the revolution" and said Cuba would defend him "until the end."

The U.S. Treasury Department recently imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Castro's son and grandson, and other officials. President Trump has indicated he plans to "handle" Cuba after completing military operations in Iran and previously imposed an energy blockade that has severely restricted fuel shipments to the island.

The energy restrictions have contributed to widespread blackouts lasting up to 20 hours daily, food shortages, and economic collapse across Cuba. Torres Rivera described the situation as "heartbreaking" and characterized the U.S. approach as "a war without bombs."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that Cuba poses a national security threat due to its ties with China and Russia, and friendly relations with other U.S. adversaries in Latin America. Administration officials have denied responsibility for Cuba's economic difficulties, attributing them instead to the Cuban government's socialist policies. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Torres Rivera's statements.