FORT MYERS, Florida, Oct 23 - President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida that the United States would handle Cuba after dealing with Iran and that he planned to dispatch Secretary of State Marco Rubio to "finish up the deal."
At the same event, Trump said:
"We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran ... then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal,"
Marco Rubio, who has been managing much of the administration's Cuba-related policy, posted on X urging those inside Cuba who seek change to act now. In his post he wrote:
"To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time,"and he urged Cubans disappointed by their government to "seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA," without elaborating further.
The administration's stated objective remains the alteration of Cuba's communist government. Among the measures implemented earlier this year, the United States has imposed an oil blockade that the article says has placed severe strain on the island - creating fuel shortages and contributing to blackouts worsened by failing infrastructure.
Washington has sustained an embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years, and the current administration has increased pressure on Havana following an operation in January in which the U.S. military seized then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in what the source characterizes as a deadly raid. The sequence of policies and actions is presented in the context of the administration's broader strategy toward the region.
Cuba's foreign minister addressed the UN General Assembly last month and said Cuba would remain open to dialogue with the United States. At the same time, UN rights experts have criticized the oil blockade as a violation of international law. Rights advocates cited by the source argue that the administration's threats have echoed an imperialist approach.
Separately, the president predicted last month that the United States and Cuba would reach an agreement and said he did not think military action would be necessary.
This account presents the public statements and policy measures as reported at the Florida rally and on social media, along with reactions from international and Cuban officials and rights observers. Some comments from U.S. officials call for clandestine cooperation, while international observers have expressed legal and ethical concerns about the blockade.