Trump Threatens Cuba Takeover Amid Escalating Sanctions and Energy Crisis

President Donald Trump threatened to take control of Cuba and potentially deploy the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to pressure the regime into submission after concluding military operations in Iran. These threats coincided with a series of executive orders, including one on May 1, 2026, that expanded sanctions against Cuba's energy, defense, and financial sectors. The U.S. also targeted the military-run conglomerate GAESA and the mining firm Moa Nickel S.A., leading the Canadian company Sherritt International to suspend its operations on the island.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the measures as a maximum pressure strategy against a failed state run by incompetent communists. Rubio denied the existence of a formal oil blockade, claiming Cuba's energy crisis stems from the loss of Venezuelan subsidies. However, Cuban officials and UN special rapporteurs condemned the U.S. for energy starvation, noting that a January 2026 order blocking oil shipments has caused widespread blackouts and severe humanitarian distress, including thousands of pending surgeries.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced the actions as illegal acts of aggression and collective punishment. While the U.S. offered a $100 million humanitarian aid package and Starlink internet in exchange for the release of political prisoners, Havana rejected the offer and vowed to defend its sovereignty. Tensions remain high as the U.S. Southern Command increased personnel in Florida, while the Cuban government maintains that regime-change negotiations are off the table.