US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will consider the possibility of including Cuba in the list of states that support international terrorist groups, The New York Times reported.

According to its sources, State Department officials have prepared a proposal to include Cuba on the list. Pompeo must decide whether to approve the plan. It is not clear yet how he will proceed.

The publication states that this step will entail the automatic imposition of US sanctions on the authorities of Cuba and will make it difficult for the elected US President Joe Biden to normalize ties with the republic. The Democrat's inauguration is scheduled for January 20, 2021. 

The White House and the State Department did not confirm the statements in the publication. At present, Washington believes that Iran, North Korea, and Syria are on the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

The United States severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 in response to the nationalization of US property on the island. After that, Washington announced the imposition of a trade and economic embargo against the country.