Biden To Remove Cuba from Terror List

The decision is expected to be reversed once Republican Donald Trump resumes office next week. Trump reinstated Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism during the final days of his first term in 2021.

“An assessment has been completed, and we do not have information that supports Cuba's designation as being a state sponsor of terrorism,” a senior administration official stated during a press briefing.

The official indicated that the release would occur in relatively short order and involve a significant number of individuals.

The official also noted that the Catholic Church in the Vatican was “significantly advancing an agreement with Cuba to secure the humanitarian release of political prisoners in Cuba and those who have been detained unjustly.”

In a separate statement, the White House confirmed that Biden would waive provisions of the Libertad Act, which underpins the US embargo on Cuba. This waiver would prevent US nationals from filing lawsuits in American courts over claims to confiscated property in Cuba that may be "trafficked".

Additionally, Biden is revoking a Trump-era policy known as "National Security Presidential Memorandum 5," effectively lifting restrictions on financial transactions with specific Cuban entities.

Shortly after, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Washington had taken a step in the "right direction" in announcing it would remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

In addition, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said that President Miguel Diaz-Canel has announced a decision "to grant freedom to 553 persons who had been duly tried for diverse crimes."