Trump says Cuba wants to strike a deal after signals of an impending attack

United States President Donald Trump said Cuba wants to strike a deal. This followed Trump signalling he would attack Cuba after his war with Iran ends. Speaking at the ‘Shield of the Americas’ event, as reported by Reuters on Saturday 7 March 2026, Trump said Cuba was ‘on the brink’. He said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would negotiate with the Cuban government.

“They want to negotiate, and they are negotiating with Marco (Rubio) and me, and a few others, and I am confident a deal with Cuba will be reached quite easily,” Trump said.

Donald Trump previously renewed his threat to topple the Cuban government. Trump indicated that US military action in the Caribbean nation could be undertaken after his administration finishes its war against Iran.

The statement, reported by Al Jazeera and CNBC on Friday 6 March, was made by Trump when speaking at the White House on Thursday 5 March during a visit by the Inter Miami football team, the 2025 Major League Soccer champions.

Trump thanked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he said had done a ‘fantastic job’ in Cuba, where the US administration has tightened sanctions aimed at squeezing the island’s economy.

‘What is happening with Cuba is truly remarkable,’ the US president said.

‘We thought we would resolve this (the Iran war) first, but it is only a matter of time before you and many other outstanding people will be back in Cuba,’ Trump told an audience largely from Miami, including Cuban descendants.

The remarks show that Trump, less than a week after rising military clashes in the Middle East, is weighing another major foreign policy move.

Trump and his allies have often threatened Havana, heightening economic pressure to topple the communist government of Cuba.

Trump’s hints about Cuba came after he boasted of the war in Iran, claiming that the US and Israel continue to ‘completely destroy’ their enemies.

(wnv/wnv)