What is the story about?
Even before formally ending the war with Iran, US President Donald Trump has indicated that he could soon begin the next phase of US armed interventions abroad.
At an event marking the 250th Independence Day, Trump on Wednesday said that he has "other things in store" after concluding the wars in Venezuela and Iran.
"How good is our military? One week! Iran was essentially finished in one hour. Venezuela was finished and I guess we have other things in store, but we don't want to get carried away," said Trump.
While Trump did not go into the specifics, he has previously declared that Cuba could be the next country he would attack.
"I built this great military. I said, 'You'll never have to use it. But sometimes you have to use it.' And Cuba is next, by the way," Trump said in March.
Like Venezuela, Cuba has seen the deployment of US military personnel and assets in international waters around the island. The nation is already under an American blockade, which has caused a widespread energy crisis.
Unlike Iran or Venezuela, Cuban leaders appear to be receptive to Trump's demands, promising economic changes to appease the United States. They passed sweeping reforms last week in a bid to transform the country's economy. But Cuba remains a one-party state with essentially no democratic electoral process. Trump has previously said he is seeking both an economic and a political course correction in the country.
Trump has also mused that Cuba is "ready to fall", that the country is in "deep trouble", and that he could pursue a "friendly takeover".
Trump and his aides have also trained their guns on Cuban elites, whom Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as "corrupt" and "incompetent". He also accused Cuban elites of blocking a better US-Cuba relationship.
Trump has further indicated that any rationale for invading Cuba could be influenced by its proximity and commercial prospects. After telling Axios last week that "it's possible" he would invade Cuba, he noted that the country has a nice shoreline and is closer to the United States than Iran.
"These places are close by. Whereas if you look at Iran, that's a very long trip. You know, I flew to that area a few times and unrelated to this, but you're flying for 18 hours, you're flying for a long time. Venezuela is relatively close and Cuba is a hopscotch... Venezuela has oil. Cuba doesn't. Cuba has a nice property and they have nice shoreline," said Trump.
Cuba is not the first place that Trump has sought to invade or occupy for commercial reasons. He previously announced that he would occupy the Gaza Strip, expel all Palestinians, and build a resort there.
At an event marking the 250th Independence Day, Trump on Wednesday said that he has "other things in store" after concluding the wars in Venezuela and Iran.
"How good is our military? One week! Iran was essentially finished in one hour. Venezuela was finished and I guess we have other things in store, but we don't want to get carried away," said Trump.
While Trump did not go into the specifics, he has previously declared that Cuba could be the next country he would attack.
"I built this great military. I said, 'You'll never have to use it. But sometimes you have to use it.' And Cuba is next, by the way," Trump said in March.
Like Venezuela, Cuba has seen the deployment of US military personnel and assets in international waters around the island. The nation is already under an American blockade, which has caused a widespread energy crisis.
Unlike Iran or Venezuela, Cuban leaders appear to be receptive to Trump's demands, promising economic changes to appease the United States. They passed sweeping reforms last week in a bid to transform the country's economy. But Cuba remains a one-party state with essentially no democratic electoral process. Trump has previously said he is seeking both an economic and a political course correction in the country.
Trump has also mused that Cuba is "ready to fall", that the country is in "deep trouble", and that he could pursue a "friendly takeover".
🇺🇸🇻🇪🇮🇷 Trump on recent U.S. actions in Iran and Venezuela:
"One week Iran was essentially finished. In one hour, Venezuela was finished. And I guess we have other things in store."
Writer: Daniyalpic.twitter.com/hP3KvNXgQ6
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 25, 2026
Trump and his aides have also trained their guns on Cuban elites, whom Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as "corrupt" and "incompetent". He also accused Cuban elites of blocking a better US-Cuba relationship.
Trump has further indicated that any rationale for invading Cuba could be influenced by its proximity and commercial prospects. After telling Axios last week that "it's possible" he would invade Cuba, he noted that the country has a nice shoreline and is closer to the United States than Iran.
"These places are close by. Whereas if you look at Iran, that's a very long trip. You know, I flew to that area a few times and unrelated to this, but you're flying for 18 hours, you're flying for a long time. Venezuela is relatively close and Cuba is a hopscotch... Venezuela has oil. Cuba doesn't. Cuba has a nice property and they have nice shoreline," said Trump.
Cuba is not the first place that Trump has sought to invade or occupy for commercial reasons. He previously announced that he would occupy the Gaza Strip, expel all Palestinians, and build a resort there.















