President Donald Trump predicted Cuba wants to make a deal with the US, but said he wants to finish the war with Iran before turning his attention to the Communist island nation.
“I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One. “We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba.”
Under Trump, the US has been tightening the screws on Cuba, imposing an almost total fuel blockade that has exacerbated already hours-long blackouts.
Speculation about a possible military overthrow of Cuba’s Communist regime has swirled around Washington as US strikes in Iran have continued, fueled in part by talk from Trump and his allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who have floated the prospect of Cuba’s government falling.
Rallies in Cuba flared up over the weekend with protesters in the city of Morón throwing rocks and setting fire to the local Communist Party office. Five people were arrested and one was hospitalized, the state-run Granma newspaper reported.
“People have been waiting 50 years to hear this story with Cuba,” Trump said.
The US’s capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro in a January operation only intensified theories about a possible regime change plan for the island 90 miles (145 kilometers) off the Florida coast whose Communist leaders have held out against US pressure for decades.
People familiar with Trump’s thinking on Cuba say he wants to use American economic pressure to make the nation financially dependent on Washington. The US would essentially take the place of its onetime rival, the Soviet Union, which kept Cuba afloat before it collapsed in 1991.
Cuba’s government confirmed on Friday it has been talking with US officials, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel saying the two sides were exploring “potential solutions for our bilateral differences.”
Diaz-Canel has said he’s willing to negotiate with the US, but only as equals. He also has warned that the country is bolstering its military defenses.
–With assistance from Jon Herskovitz.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.