U.S. asks Cuba to recall diplomats in Washington

U.S. officials will ask Cuba to recall 60 percent of its embassy staff stationed in Washington, D.C., following a similar drawdown of American diplomats in Havana. The request isn’t an order—unless the Cuban government refuses to comply. If necessary, the United States is prepared to expel the Cuban diplomats, officials said. Tuesday’s announcement is the latest salvo in the diplomatic row that began earlier this year when U.S. officials revealed several diplomats stationed in Havana suffered minor brain injuries, permanent hearing loss, and nausea after mysterious, and still unexplained, sonic attacks. According to reports, most of the victims were spies working under diplomatic cover, although the U.S. government has not confirmed that. The victim count has increased to 22 after another foreign service worker reported symptoms. Several Canadian diplomats also suffered similar problems. Cuba denies any involvement in or knowledge of the attacks. But the Trump administration recalled its diplomats anyway and now wants Cuba to follow suit. Officials say the request isn’t a retaliatory move—they are seeking parity, with the two countries having the same number of representatives in each other’s capital cities. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a critic of renewed relations with the Castro regime, called Tuesday’s announcement “the right decision.”