Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on 3 May 2025 denounced what he described as an unprecedented escalation of US military threats, after US President Donald Trump suggested Washington could take control of Cuba "almost immediately" and deploy an aircraft carrier off the island's coast. The remarks have sharply heightened tensions between Washington and Havana.

What Trump Said

Speaking at an event in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the United States would take control of Cuba "almost immediately" after "finishing a job" — a reference to the ongoing US conflict with Iran in the Middle East. He added that he "could" send the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Caribbean and have it stop approximately 100 yards off Cuba's coast "on the way back from Iran." The remarks were widely interpreted in Havana as a direct military threat.

Cuba's Response

"The US president escalates his threats of military aggression against Cuba to a dangerous and unprecedented scale," Diaz-Canel wrote on X, calling on the international community and the American people to decide whether they would permit "such a drastic criminal act" to serve the interests of what he described as a small but wealthy and influential group seeking revenge and domination. He stated that no aggressor, "no matter how powerful," would find surrender in Cuba, but rather "a people determined to defend sovereignty and independence."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also posted on X the same day, stating that Trump's "clear and direct" threat of a military attack had raised aggression against Cuba to dangerous levels. Rodriguez noted that popular support for the Cuban Revolution was demonstrated "massively" during May Day celebrations on Friday, 2 May.

New US Sanctions

The military rhetoric came alongside fresh economic pressure. US President Trump on Friday signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on Cuba, blocking all property and interests in property of designated persons within US jurisdiction or in the possession of US persons from being transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in. Cuba denounced the measures as "unilateral coercive measures," with Foreign Minister Rodriguez stating they demonstrate "an intention to impose collective punishment on the Cuban people."

Rodriguez further argued that the sanctions are "extraterritorial in nature and violate the United Nations Charter," asserting that the United States has no right to impose such measures against Cuba or against third countries and parties. He noted that the announcement coincided with 1 May, when, according to Cuban authorities, millions of Cubans took to the streets to denounce the US blockade and what Havana calls an energy siege.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

This is not the first time US-Cuba tensions have flared under Trump's presidency, but the explicit reference to a named aircraft carrier and a specific geographic proximity marks a notable escalation in tone. The Trump administration has pursued a policy of maximum pressure on Havana, including tightening the decades-old trade embargo and adding Cuba to the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Analysts will be watching whether Washington follows through with any naval movement or whether the remarks remain rhetorical pressure ahead of broader Middle East-focused foreign policy moves. The international community, including the United Nations, is yet to formally respond to the latest exchange.