The purported accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, just announced by the U.S. government, only reveals the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership.

This is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation, aimed solely at padding the fabricated dossier they use to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.

The U.S. lies and distorts the events surrounding the downing of the planes belonging to the narco-terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.

It knows full well—given the abundance of documentary evidence—that no imprudent action was taken nor was international law violated, as U.S. military forces have indeed been doing with their coldly calculated and openly publicized extrajudicial executions against civilian vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

On February 24, 1996, Cuba acted in legitimate self-defense within its jurisdictional waters, following repeated and dangerous violations of our airspace by notorious terrorists—a fact of which the U.S. administration at the time was alerted on more than a dozen occasions, yet it ignored the warnings and allowed those violations to continue.

The ethical stature and humanistic spirit of his legacy demolish any infamy that might be attempted against Army General Raúl Castro. As a guerrilla commander and as a statesman, he earned the love of his people, along with the respect and admiration of other leaders in the region and the world. Those values are his greatest defense and a moral shield against this ridiculous attempt to diminish his stature as a hero.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has defined the regulatory jurisdiction for the management of the Strait of Hormuz as follows: "The line connecting Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern entrance of the Strait to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE at the western entrance."

Transit through this area for the purpose of passing through the Hormuz Strait requires coordination with, and authorization from, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA).