Several lawmakers believe all efforts should be focused on Iran and that economic sanctions should be enough to force change on the Island
14ymedio, Madrid, May 12, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump posted a message on his social network, Truth, in which he claimed that Cuba is asking for help and that he will respond through dialogue. The post makes a veiled reference to an article published Tuesday by the newspaper The Hill, which quoted several Republican senators rejecting military intervention on the Island and urging priority be given to the war with Iran.
“No Republican has ever talked to me about Cuba, a failed country that is only going in one direction: downward! Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk! Meanwhile, I’m going to China!” Trump exclaimed, just hours before his trip to Beijing, which begins this Wednesday and will last through Friday the 15th.
The Hill spoke with several senators from the president’s party who warned of the mistake it would be to attack Cuba while problems with Iran continue, and who called for continued economic pressure so that the Cuban regime collapses on its own.
The lawmakers are apparently concerned about the political repercussions that presidential decisions could have ahead of the midterm elections in November, when all signs point to a Democratic victory. The war against the regime of the ayatollahs is worsening the already negative polling numbers forecast for Republicans, and senators are asking for the issue to be resolved as soon as possible.
The lawmakers are apparently concerned about the political repercussions that presidential decisions could have ahead of the midterm elections in November.
“I think right now we are focused on what we should be, which is trying to open the Strait of Hormuz,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who considers the matter a national priority. “I’d love to see regime change in Cuba, like everyone else,” he added, but said that this may come through the force of events. “I think the things happening in the world are putting more pressure on many of these dictatorial-type governments. Maybe something there will happen naturally.”
James Lankford, Republican senator from Oklahoma and vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference, called for increased sanctions to try to force change, but when asked whether he would support a military operation against the Island, he was blunt: “No, I would not. There is a lot of economic pressure that can be put on Cuba that makes a huge difference by itself.”
Another firm “no” came from Susan Collins, representative from Maine and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Steve Daines argued that although Cuba is “in our backyard,” he prefers “less conflict rather than more, given what’s happening in the world.”
“I trust,” he added, “the instincts of the president and Secretary Rubio. They are much closer to that situation, frankly, than I am,” highlighting the role of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said a military operation in Cuba would be a mistake and suggested that the Cuban regime is open to reforms in exchange for investment. “I want less war, not more. I am not in favor of a war with Cuba, which right now is suffering economically from the embargo, although I think they were suffering even before that because of socialism,” he stated.
“From what I have discussed with their ambassador, I think they are open to negotiations, they are open to better relations. They have told me they are open to U.S. investment. That is really the way societies are transformed,” he argued.
Shelley Moore Capito, senator from West Virginia and chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, downplayed the likelihood of military action and insisted that Iran is the priority. “It’s very far down the list, even if it’s on a list. I think we have to focus on what’s happening in Iran,” she told The Hill.
“It’s very far down the list, even if it’s on a list. I think we have to focus on what’s happening in Iran,” she said.
By contrast, Axios sees more signs that Trump may be preparing military action in Cuba, in an article published Monday titled “Trump and Rubio’s escalating rhetoric shows a Cuba invasion could be imminent.” While the outlet does not provide strong indications from government sources pointing toward military intervention — they cite a White House official saying that Cuba “will soon fall, and we will be there to help them” — it does include a relevant opinion in that direction.
That opinion comes from Sebastián Arcos, interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, who told Axios that intervention is more plausible now that “the war with Iran is in a kind of limbo.” “I sense a reorientation toward Cuba, not only in the surveillance flights, but also in the president’s statements to Marco Rubio and the newly announced sanctions,” the specialist declared.
He does not believe the U.S. president will deploy troops on the Island, but rather “undertake a remote military action, similar to what occurred in Iran, that would shock the regime, weaken the ruling leadership, and perhaps create an opportunity for the emergence of new leadership.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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