There is zero doubt in my mind that they meet all the qualifications for being a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said.

President Joe Biden is removing Cuba from a U.S. government list of state sponsors of terrorism on Tuesday. That move, and a number of other conciliatory actions, are being taken in the hope of securing the release of political prisoners on the island,

Cuba on Wednesday began releasing prisoners jailed following anti-government protests in 2021, making good on a deal agreed with the Biden administration this week. Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday removed Cuba from a blacklist of nations that sponsor terrorism and rolled back a raft of sanctions implemented by Donald Trump during his first presidency that have contributed to the communist-run island's worst economic crisis in decades.