Trump threatens carrier off Cuba, Rubio condemns regime
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump suggested a U.S. aircraft carrier could be positioned 100 yards offshore of Cuba and demand surrender, indicating a possible military operation.
- Rubio declared Cuba's economic system is broken, calling its ruling party “incompetent communists.”
- U.S. surveillance flights have surged off Cuba's coast since February, according to a CNN review of flight data.
- U.S. sanctions were imposed on Cuba last Thursday, which the Cuban foreign minister called a “collective punishment of a genocidal nature.”
- Lula reported that Trump told him privately he has no intention to invade Cuba.
- Sebastian Arcos said that with the Iran war stalled, the U.S. may refocus on Cuba, possibly using an “off-distance military action” similar to Iran to shock the regime.
Why it matters: The U.S. escalation—surging surveillance flights, fresh sanctions, and overt invasion rhetoric—intensifies pressure on Cuba’s already strained humanitarian situation, while the Cuban regime’s refusal to reform and the administration’s willingness to act threaten the island’s stability and U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations in the near term.
