President Donald Trump’s military is quietly planning for a potential operation in Cuba in case the hawkish commander in chief gives the word.
USA TODAY reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon is ramping up its planning for a possible operation in the Caribbean country, citing two sources familiar with the directive who spoke under condition of anonymity.
The report comes just two days after Trump, 79, threatened to “stop by Cuba” after his war on Iran ends, the timeframe of which is uncertain.
Reached for comment on the report, a Defense Department official told the Daily Beast in a statement: “We will not speculate on hypothetical scenarios. The Department plans for a range of contingencies and remains prepared to execute the President’s orders as directed.”
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
Since the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on the communist country in January, Trump has made clear his intentions about the island nation of nearly 11 million.
“We’re going to see about Cuba,” the geriatric president said on Monday as he received a McDonald’s delivery to the Oval Office. “Cuba’s another story.”
“It’s been very oppressive, as you know, and we have a lot of great Cuban Americans, all of whom just about voted for me,” he continued. “Cuba’s a failing nation, and we’re going to do this, and we may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this.”
Though he eased the restrictions on other countries sending oil to Cuba late last month, after the island’s electrical grid collapsed, he has not let up on his desire to potentially invade the country.
“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem, whether it’s Russia or not,” the president told reporters on Air Force One.
The Pentagon mobilized thousands more troops toward the Middle East as Trump’s war on Iran enters its seventh week. Since Feb. 28, 13 American service members have died, and hundreds more have been injured in the Middle East.
Negotiations between Tehran and the U.S. last weekend in Islamabad, led by Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and real estate mogul-turned-diplomat Steve Witkoff, bore no fruit, as Vance said the Iranians did not agree to terms set by the U.S. delegation.
Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in an interview published Wednesday morning that he believes the war is “very close to over," and repeated his frequently recycled claim that Iran “wants to make a deal very badly,” though the exact timeframe remains unclear.
“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” Trump said about Iran. “And we’re not finished. But we’ll see what happens.”
On Monday morning, U.S. Naval forces blockaded Iranian ports at Trump’s request, after Tehran had shut down and exerted sovereignty over the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
It’s uncertain what will happen next once the already fragile ceasefire ends on April 22.
