Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
    • Travel
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Business and Economy

Cuba and the US, one year of diplomatic ties

The restoration of US and Cuban diplomatic ties has hit the one-year mark after decades of frosty relations.

Save

Share

facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink
Cuban American relations
The Cuban flag was raised over Havana’s embassy in Washington on Monday, July 20, 2015 for the first time in 54 years as the United States and Cuba formally restored relations, opening a new chapter of engagement between the former Cold War foes. [Andrew Harnik/Pool/Reuters]
Published On 20 Jul 201620 Jul 2016

It has been a year since the US and Cuba restored full diplomatic ties after more than five decades of frosty relations rooted in the Cold War.

The US broke off ties with Cuban following the 1959 Communist revolution led by former Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Successive US governments tried to oust the Cuban leadership, most notably during the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961.

The US imposed a trade embargo on Havana in 1962 and in the same year the movement of nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union to Cuba brought the countries close to nuclear war.

Since the restoration of diplomatic relations, the states have signed telecommunication deals and put into place airline services but obstacles remain.

On March 20, 2016, US President Barack Obama was welcomed by cheering crowds in Havana at the start of a historic visit to Cuba that opened a new chapter in US engagement with the island’s government. 

Cuban American relations
A man holding US and Cuban flags stands on the sidewalk ahead of the raising of the flag at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, July 20, 2015. [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
Advertisement
Cuban American relations
Anti-Castro activists protesting in Little Havana in Miami, Florida, July 20, 2015. [Javier Galeano/Reuters]
Cuban American relations
US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez at the Cuban foreign ministry in Havana, Cuba, August 14, 2015. [Raul Abreu/Reuters]
Cuban American relations
The Air Force One carrying US President Barack Obama and his family flies over a Havana neighbourhood as it approaches to land at the city's international airport on March 20, 2016. [Alberto Reyes/Reuters]
Cuban American relations
Crowds in Havana await the arrival of Obama at the Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso on March 22, 2016. [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]
Cuban American relations
Obama waves as he arrives to deliver a speech at the Gran Teatro in Havana. [Carlos Barria/Reuters]
Advertisement
Cuban American relations
Carlos Alvarez, 54, on Obama's historic visit: 'New changes, it was a blessing that he came and God willing the new US president will do the same. Obama is an example.' [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]

Related

  • India lowers fuel taxes, says rumours of lockdown ‘completely false’

    India, the world’s third biggest crude importer, announces measures amid shortages created by the Iran war.

    Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026
    india oil
  • ‘Junk’: Faulty electronics from rich countries flood Nigeria with e-waste

    Discarded, near-end-of-life electronics shipped from developed countries are adding to Nigeria’s growing e-waste burden.

    Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026
    Market in Kano, Nigeria
  • OPINIONOPINION,

    The Strait of Hormuz is not just an oil chokepoint

    It is the single point of failure of globalised production.

    Opinion by Mohammed Al-HashemiMohammed Al-Hashemi
    Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026
    Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo)
    quotes
  • Sri Lanka braces for new economic crisis as war on Iran continues

    For many Sri Lankans, the fuel shortage triggered by the war carries echoes of the 2022 economic crisis – with a twist.

    Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026
    Keerthi Rathna, a tuk tik driver, in a queue to fill fuel at a gas station in Kandy, Sri Lanka

More from Gallery

  • Photos: Manila’s streets empty as fuel prices surge amid Hormuz crisis

    A sharp increase in prices of basic commodities and the possible loss of employment for thousands of people due to the fuel price hike have raised the spectre of stagflation in the Philippines.
    This gallery article has 10 imagescamera10
  • Photos: More than one million displaced by Israel’s evacuations in Lebanon

    Over one million displaced by Israel’s evacuations in Lebanon
    This gallery article has 10 imagescamera10
  • Migrants march in southern Mexico to denounce immigration restrictions

    Migrants, some carrying children, walk on the highway through the municipality of Huehuetan, Chiapas state, Mexico, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, after leaving Tapachula the previous night. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
    This gallery article has 9 imagescamera9
  • Photos: Iran fires new waves of missiles at Israel

    This picture shows damaged buildings at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv
    This gallery article has 8 imagescamera8

Most popular

  • Iran targets Saudi capital, hits Kuwait port as Middle East tensions surge

    TOPSHOT - This video grab taken from images released by the Iranian state broadcaster (IRIB) on March 26, 2026, shows what it says is the second phase of the 82nd wave of missiles launched against Israel and US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
  • How extensive is Russia’s military aid to Iran?

    Iranian missile strikes
  • US-Israel war on Iran: What’s happening on day 28 of attacks?

    Protesters attend a rally.
  • Iran war updates: US, Israel attack ignites worst trade rupture in 80 years

    This handout image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows a view of smoke plumes billowing in the vicinity Kuwait International Airport on March 25, 2026.

  • About

    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
  • Connect

    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Paid Partner Content
  • Our Channels

    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
  • Our Network

    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network