The one thing the 83-year-old revolutionary leader did not discuss in his return to the airwaves on Monday was events in Cuba, where the government freed and sent into exile the first of 52 political prisoners it has promised to release in coming months.

Why Castro agreed to go on the air after so long in the background was a mystery, as are so many things involving the former Cuban leader, who has spent a lifetime keeping the world guessing. Castro provided no answers on Mesa Redonda — or Round Table — a daily Cuban talk show.

Castro looked relaxed and lucid, though his voice was raspy and he spoke slowly. Much of the interview was spent with either Castro reading essays by someone else or having his own words read back to him by presenter Randy Alonso.

Castro warned that an attack on Iran would be catastrophic for America. “The worst (for America) is the resistance they will face there, which they didn’t face in Iraq,” he said.
The scene at a sparsely lit office at an undisclosed location was slightly surreal, even in a country that often feels stuck in a 1950s time warp. It was even unclear whether the interview was live or when it might have been taped.