Trump talks about directing his troops from Iran to Cuba

U.S. President Donald Trump said Cuba would be the second target after Iran.

"Cuba has problems, on the way back from Iran, we're going to have one of the biggest aircraft carriers, maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln — the largest in the world — and we're going to bring it, to dock about 100 yards from the shore, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We surrender to you."

  The U.S. Senate on  Tuesday rejected a bill  introduced by Democrats that would have obliged President Donald Trump to end the embargo on Cuba unless it receives congressional approval.

The House voted 51 to 47 to drop the draft resolution on war powers, following Republicans' claims that the legislation was "procedurally undisciplined given that the United States is not engaged in direct hostilities with the Caribbean island at this time."

Democrats have repeatedly tried to pass legislation aimed at restricting Trump's ability to deploy military force in those conflicts, but none of them have succeeded, and  Tuesday's vote, the first on Cuba, would have required Trump to get congressional approval before launching any attacks on the island.

 Gradual U.S. economic and political escalation

On May 1,  2026, Trump signed an executive order expanding the scope of sanctions imposed on Cuba, accusing Havana of collaborating with Iran and providing sanctuaries for elements linked to Lebanese Hezbollah.

Simultaneously with the sanctions, the US administration imposed a blockade on fuel supplies destined for the island. With Cuba almost entirely dependent on imports to meet its energy needs, this has led to a suffocating crisis of widespread power cuts, reduced feeding hours and disruptions to the transport and service sectors. The crisis was not just economic pressure, but an attempt to create an internal upheaval that would weaken Havana's ability to support Tehran or withstand sanctions.

The roots of this path go back to January 2026, when Trump declared a national emergency against Cuba, paving the way for the imposition of tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island, including Mexico and Russia, this announcement gave the administration broad powers to move beyond the traditional diplomatic track, and to link the Cuban file directly to U.S. national security.

Cuban president calls on his people to prepare for any possible U.S. attack

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, in a speech on Thursday, April 17, 2026 in the capital, Havana, called on the Cuban people to prepare for any possible US attack, considering that "the possibility of a US military attack in Cuba exists".

"We don't want war, but it is our duty to be ready to prevent it, and if it becomes inevitable, we have to win it," Canel said. "There is no doubt that Cuba is a country capable of achieving victory," pointing out that his country is going through a difficult phase, calling on the Cuban people to "prepare for any possible invasion."

Canel accused the United States of pursuing a "multidimensionally aggressive" policy against Cuba, blaming it for the economic hardships faced by the Cuban people due to the embargo imposed on the country.