At a Business Conference, Trump Calls Cuba the 'Next Target'

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CANADA - US President Donald Trump said on Friday (27/3/2026) that Cuba could become a target for future US action after Iran. Trump pointed to what he claimed was the success of recent US military operations in Venezuela and Iran. “I built this great military. I said, ‘You’ll never have to use it,’ but sometimes you have to use it. And Cuba is the next target,” Trump said at the Future Investment Initiative, a Saudi business conference. “But pretend I didn’t say that. Please, pretend I didn’t say it. Please, please, please, media, please ignore that statement,” he added. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday (25/3/2026) that although all issues can be discussed in negotiations with the US, the country’s independence “never” can be questioned. Speaking to Spanish-language media Canal Red in Havana, Diaz-Canel discussed ongoing contacts with Washington. He said various topics, including foreign investment, migration flows, drug trade, counter-terrorism, environmental protection, as well as science and education, must be discussed with the US. “We can discuss everything, but our sovereignty must be respected. Our independence and political system are never open to discussion,” he said.