Al-Thawra Net/..
US President Donald Trump continues an unprecedented campaign of pressure and threats against Cuba, exceeding in intensity and scope all of the US sanctions that preceded it six decades ago.
From the stifling economic blockade that exacerbates the suffering of the Cuban people and seeks to incite it against its political regime, through the explicit and crude threats of invasion and military aggression, all the way to imposing a coercive, arrogant dialogue on Havana under pressure and suffocation at the same time – all of these steps constitute gradual tools and mechanisms in a clear American strategy with a clear goal: regime change in Cuba.
But the question arises: What is the aggressive Trump administration really seeking behind this escalating campaign? Is it just a traditional sanctions policy aimed at modifying the Cuban government’s behavior towards Washington, or is it a prelude to more dangerous steps that exceed the limits of international law and reproduce the scenarios of military intervention that destroyed other countries and reinforced America’s fascist presence?
In light of escalating tensions, Trump issuing executive orders expanding the blockade to include secondary sanctions targeting foreign entities dealing with Cuba, and his repeated threats of a “military solution,” it seems that Washington is not content with besieging Havana economically, but is seeking to bring it down at any cost, even if that is at the expense of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter. Is this escalation a prelude to direct military action, or is it merely a pressure card in a broader geopolitical game?
What is behind Washington’s accusation of former Cuban leader Raul Castro of murder and conspiracy in the case of shooting down two planes in 1996? This is a step that many saw as a potential pretext for a new military escalation under the Trump administration, or a justification for any illegal step that Washington might take.
According to international law experts at Britain’s University of Reading, the US campaign to deprive Cuba of its primary energy source with the aim of overthrowing its government represents “the clearest example of unlawful interference in the internal affairs of another state,” and President Trump’s repeated statements about possible military action constitute threats to use force prohibited under the UN Charter.
UN human rights experts condemned the US Executive Order (14380) issued on January 29, 2026, describing it as a “serious violation of international law” and “an extreme form of unilateral economic coercion” aimed at forcing sovereign countries to change their legitimate trade relations.
In May 2026, the US administration expanded sanctions through Executive Order 14404 to include secondary sanctions targeting foreign entities doing business with Cuba, including foreign financial institutions, marking an unprecedented expansion of the economic blockade.
In light of this American escalation, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez confirmed that the American government continues to take measures aimed at tightening the blockade on the Cuban economy, despite his country’s ability to withstand and face the economic pressures and sanctions imposed on it.
Rodriguez added, in a blog post on the
The Cuban Foreign Minister criticized US policy towards his country, considering that the measures pushed by the US Secretary of State represent a “crime” committed from the position of influence that the United States enjoys as the largest power in the world.
These statements come as Washington has long sought to overthrow or weaken the Cuban government, while Havana asserts that Trump seeks to seize the country, its resources and property, and to strangle the island’s economy, amid the worsening electricity crisis and fuel shortages.
Rubio’s lies and fallacies
Earlier, the Cuban Foreign Minister criticized the lies of the US Secretary of State, Mark Rubio, through which he tries to justify the aggression against Cuba and the American blockade of a military nature.
Rodriguez said, in a blog post on the “X” platform, “When the US Secretary of State talks about incompetence in Cuba, he should be asked why he chronically lies and contradicts his president and his official spokeswoman, denying the existence of the complete fuel blockade that the White House itself acknowledges.”
He added: “If it is a matter of incompetence, why do they impose the oil blockade and secondary sanctions? Every time he talks about the situation in our country, he tries to evade any responsibility and present himself as a savior.”
The Cuban minister called on the world to be aware of these fallacies, saying: “But be careful: it is a comprehensive blockade, very similar to a blockade of a military nature, and at the same time, it openly calls for the undermining of the Cuban constitutional system, and persistently seeks to push America towards military intervention in Cuba.”
He explained that “Washington’s economic strangulation plan against Cuba includes preventing foreign companies from selling spare parts or technologies needed for Cuban thermal power plants.”
He continued: “It also prevents any company in the world from selling oil to our country, and imposes sanctions on the Cuban company CUPET, which is the company that possesses the infrastructure and capabilities necessary for fuel-related logistics services in Cuba.”
Three scenarios
For his part, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that the United States is betting on three scenarios to deal with Cuba.
Diaz-Canel believed that the first scenario represented “economic strangulation with the aim of provoking a social explosion, then exploiting it under the pretext of humanitarian aid to intervene in the country.”
He added that the second scenario is based on “a forced dialogue with Cuba based on maximum pressure with the aim of controlling the Cuban economy, which would later allow imposing a change in the political regime.”
The Cuban President indicated that the third scenario is “military aggression.”
Deep strategic frustration
The Turkish writer, Ertugrul Gingel, considered that the United States, after being unable to achieve the “quick victory” it was looking for in the war with Iran, which turned into an endless story oscillating between a ceasefire and a blockade, and between war and peace, is now preparing to unload the bill for its deep strategic frustration in Cuba.
He added, in an article published on the “Turk Press” website, that during the recent period, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been implementing a multi-level “maximum pressure” strategy against Cuba, which includes a financial blockade, pressure in the energy field, intelligence operations, diplomatic isolation, and even military movements.
He stressed that “after Trump was unable to get out of the war quagmire in Iran, which he entered at the instigation of Israel, which is accused of committing genocide, he is now seeking to divert attention towards another direction and provide an ‘easy victory’ to American public opinion and the extremist electoral bloc.”
He added, “For this very reason, Cuba, with a population of 11 million and exhausted for many years under the weight of the blockade, has become a new laboratory for the illusions of American power.”
Gingell noted, “The nearly seventy-year-long conflict between Cuba and the United States is not limited to diplomatic tension between two countries, but rather represents one of the longest fronts of conflict in the areas of ideology, intelligence, economic warfare, and competition for global influence.”
According to the writer, “The revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959 that overthrew the Washington-backed Batista regime was considered a historic blow to American influence in the Caribbean.”
He explained, “With the Trump administration stumbling on the Iranian front today, it continues to seek to achieve the “quick victory” it seeks before the November 3 midterm elections, by testing its aggressive policies in Cuba, starting from the blockade to military pressures.”
“This arrogant blockade implemented by the Trump administration through Marco Rubio has turned into a dangerous gamble that is not only testing an island nation, but also international law, regional stability, and the legitimacy of the United States at the global level,” he said.
The writer concluded that “the Cuban resistance, which has not been broken for seventy years despite assassinations, sabotage operations, and sieges, today also possesses a deep-rooted memory that is too deep to be sacrificed for the sake of the electoral investments of the American right.”
Seeking easy gain in Cuba
In this context, writer Owen Jones said that the “American war machine” has turned its attention to Cuba, pointing to the statements of the US Secretary of State of Cuban origin, Marco Rubio, “who has long longed for the fall of the communist government on the island, and repeated that again last week. While he expressed his preference for a negotiated settlement, he said that the chances of reaching an agreement are not high.”
Jones published an article in the British newspaper The Guardian, under the title “After being humiliated by Iran, the United States seeks an easy gain: focusing on Cuba,” in which he included a reminder of the context of the American choice of Cuba, saying, “The United States has now charged the former president of the country, Raul Castro, with conspiring to kill American citizens, four counts of murder, and two counts of destroying aircraft, against the backdrop of shooting down two planes in 1996.”
He added, “The evidence increasingly points in one direction. It is darkly reminiscent of the accusation against Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, which was used to justify his kidnapping by American forces.”
Jones cites a statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when he said that the United States was “being humiliated” by Iran.
The writer adds, “One might think that Trump’s appetite for conflict would diminish, but failure does not necessarily restrain the retreating powers, but rather may make them more dangerous. There is no doubt that Trump and his team have convinced themselves that invading the Caribbean island that has challenged Washington for nearly seven decades might erase defeats and restore the aura of American military superiority.”
Jones points out that Trump does not hide his intentions regarding this, as he stated in March, “I think I will have… the honor of seizing Cuba,” “a reference reminiscent of the European colonists in the nineteenth century who divided Africa.”
In his article, he believes that the Trump administration’s leaking of intelligence information claiming that Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones, which are supposed to attack the American base in Guantanamo Bay, is “a desperate, weak attempt to imitate the weapons of mass destruction pretext that was used to invade Iraq.”
He concludes by saying: “There is no doubt about what Trump is planning. Who can forget that horrific artificial intelligence video he published about Gaza, which depicted the destroyed rubble transformed into a Trump-branded luxury project that includes yachts and skyscrapers?”
Choking Cuba with oil to topple the regime
Political analyst in American affairs, Noman Abu Issa, confirmed that the current American administration seeks to implement the “Monroe Doctrine,” which aims to impose complete hegemony over North and South America.
Abu Issa explained, during an intervention to Extra News Channel, that Washington has partially succeeded in changing the situation in Venezuela, and is now placing Cuba as a next target, as it is the only remaining regime in the region that is still outside American control and adheres to its socialist rules, according to the Egyptian newspaper Youm7.
He pointed out that the United States’ goal of the “economic strangulation” policy is to bring the Cuban economy to “the brink of failure and collapse,” to force the Cuban government to make major political concessions and open its markets to American companies and investments, especially in the tourism sector, and to abandon its current approach.
Regarding the possibility of military intervention, Noman Abu Issa said that the American administration always hints at military force and increases the presence of its ships in the Cuban ocean, but he ruled out a comprehensive military confrontation at the present time.
He attributed this to “most American forces being busy on other fronts, especially in the Middle East with Iran,” stressing that “Washington fears a repeat of the failure in Iraq, and currently prefers to use the weapon of sanctions and non-profit institutions to destabilize the regime from within.”
Despite all this, analysts do not rule out Washington taking any additional step or steps against Cuba economically or militarily. There are other examples that preceded Cuba in exposing American imperialism and fascism.
