Cuba's Castro Warns of War in First Public Speech Since Surgery in 2006

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro gave his first public speech in front of thousands of people since undergoing surgery four years ago, repeating warnings of imminent nuclear war sparked by conflict in the Middle East.

Castro, wearing a green military uniform, told supporters gathered on the main steps of the University of Havana today that an attack on Iran could cause a worldwide nuclear war, state-owned newspaper Juventud Rebelde reported.

The 84-year-old leader of Cuba’s 1959 communist revolution returned to the public eye in July, giving his first television interview in at least three years. Fidel began transferring control to his brother Raul in July 2006, when he underwent intestinal surgery, and officially stepped down as president in 2008. He has repeatedly warned of war since returning.

“Iran’s conventional ability to respond would provoke a ferocious war,” Castro said. The conflict “would inevitably lead to global nuclear war.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Jens Erik Gould in Mexico City at jgould9@bloomberg.net

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