‘Cuba is next’ — Trump hints at new focus for US military after Iran, Venezuela operations

US President Donald Trump said, "Cuba is next" on his list after the “successes” of military action in Venezuela and Iran. He was speaking at a Saudi-backed FII Priority investment forum in Miami on Friday, local time. Trump quickly dismissed it and asked the media to “pretend I didn't say it”. He did not specify what precisely he was planning to do with the island nation, but Trump has frequently said he believes the government in Havana, facing a severe economic crisis, is on the verge of collapse. According to Reuters, the Trump administration has opened up negotiations with Cuba in recent weeks. He himself has hinted that kinetic action is possible on several occasions. "I built this great military. I said, 'You'll never have to use it.' But sometimes you have to use it," Trump told the conference on Friday. “And Cuba is next, by the way!” Trump said. "But pretend I didn't say that. Pretend I didn't." “Please, please, please, media, disregard that statement. Thank you very much,” the US president said. On Monday, Trump said he believes he will have the "honour" of taking Cuba. “I do believe I’ll be the honour of — having the honour of taking Cuba. That’d be a good honour — that’s a big honour. I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth,” Trump said. He had said Cuba may be subject to a "friendly takeover," before adding: "It may not be a friendly takeover." Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged that the island country is in talks with the US led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, in a bid to avert potential military confrontation, Reuters said. Earlier this week, Rubio said that Cuba would collapse “on its own” and that Havana’s leaders “don’t know how to fix” it. Cuba's economy has been battered by disruptions in oil imports, which it relies on to run power plants and transportation. Venezuela had provided much of Cuba's oil needs before the US operation to capture now-deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January. The new Caracas government, under pressure from Washington, has ended those shipments. Reacting to Trump's frequent warnings of a Cuba takeover, the nation's deputy foreign minister, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, issued a stern warning to the United States, saying the island’s military is “prepared”. Carlos told NBC that he couldn't comprehend why America would hit the island, noting that their “military is always prepared. And in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression". He said Cuba has always viewed such a possibility as distant and unlikely, but “it would be foolish not to stay prepared”. Carlos also noted that Cuba’s economy sharply deteriorated after the Trump administration captured Maduro, and accused Washington of pressuring other countries with “coercive measures” to prevent fuel shipments to the island. Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.