New Delhi: According to a latest report by USA TODAY, the US Pentagon may soon be planning for a possible military operation in Cuba. Two sources familiar
with the order reportedly talked to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity when delivering this news.
What do reports say?
The directives as reported by the publication appear to be an escalation of recent tensions between the US and Cuba that began in January when the Trump administration curbed oil shipments to Cuba. These formed a part of the larger strategy of the Trump administration to force sweeping political changes on Cuba, which escalated after their takeover of Venezuela.
In the statement reported by USA TODAY, the Pentagon said it plans for a range of contingencies and remains prepared to execute the president’s orders as directed. Reports of the plans to escalate operations in Cuba first appeared on Zeteo’s ‘Substack’, subsequently travelling around Capitol Hill and Washington.
US President Donald Trump has recently upped his ante when it comes to making suggestive and aggressive remarks against Cuba. He recently talked about how he could soon have the “honor” of “taking Cuba, in some form,” adding, “Whether I free it, take it − I think I can do anything I want with it.”
Recent sourness in US-Cuba relations
The tensions between Cuba and the US have escalated sharply since early 2026 under the second Trump administration.
Trump declared Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” via executive order on January 29, 2026. The President then imposed tariffs on countries supplying oil to the island and effectively enforced an oil blockade after cutting off Venezuelan shipments following US actions there.
On April 13, Trump told USA TODAY at the White House, “We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this,” referring to ongoing conflict with Iran. Countering this, in a recent interview with Newsweek, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel vowed that his country would fight back, saying, “We will battle, we will defend ourselves, and should we fall in battle, to die for the homeland is to live.”
