For Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba, Donald Trump is listening to his Secretary of State. This is the conclusion drawn from an extensive profile of Marco Rubio published this Monday by The Economist under the title "The Chameleon in the War Room," which examines the growing influence of the head of U.S. diplomacy over the president on the most sensitive foreign policy issues.
The analysis from the British magazine arrives at a time of heightened diplomatic activity. Trump confirmed that Cuba is in talks with Rubio and that they will do something very soon, describing the conversations as "surprisingly friendly." At the same time, the president referred to Cuba as a country "at the end of the road, with no money or oil."
Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants and the first Latino to hold the position of Secretary of State, has built a geopolitical vision centered around what he considers a nexus of interconnected authoritarian regimes.
Regarding Cuba, he has been straightforward in pointing out that "the bottom line is that its economy does not work," and he has insisted that the island needs "new leadership."
Recently, Rubio denied the version from The New York Times that suggested a transition leaving the power of the Castro family intact, outright rejecting that scenario as acceptable for Washington.
In the Venezuelan front, Rubio was the political architect of Nicolás Maduro's capture in January 2026. In front of Caribbean leaders, he defended the action, stating that "Venezuela is better today" with "substantial" progress in just eight weeks.
The secretary has outlined a three-stage plan for Venezuela —stabilization through an oil blockade, recovery with access for Western companies, and transition to free elections—.
He also pointed out that Cuba is the true power behind the Venezuelan regime. "It was the Cubans, not the Venezuelans, who guarded Maduro," he stated, describing the situation as an "internal colonization."
Regarding Iran, Rubio has been the main proponent of a maximum pressure policy that demands the complete dismantling of the nuclear program, with no uranium enrichment, full inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and no expiration clauses.
The negotiations between the U.S. and Iran that began in 2025 collapsed in February 2026 after a ten-day ultimatum that Tehran did not meet. Rubio then warned that Iran possesses 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, just weeks away from weapon-grade levels.
The paradox highlighted by The Economist is that Rubio, who in 2016 called Trump "a con artist" and predicted that his administration would be "chaos," today displays a "studiedly deferential" attitude towards the president. Trump, for his part, has responded by claiming that Rubio "will go down in history as the best Secretary of State ever."
In the Cuban context, the regime has made some initial concessions, such as the announcement of the release of 51 prisoners following a dialogue with the Vatican and the authorization for the FBI to investigate an incident involving a boat from Florida, but it maintains its red lines. Political prisoners and the political system, according to Havana, "are non-negotiable."
Nonetheless, Cuba would consider compensating confiscated properties after the 1959 Revolution, a sign that some interpret as a tactical opening in response to the growing pressure from Washington.
The negotiation strategy in the U.S.-Cuba talks continues to be the subject of analysis, while Rubio maintains that the partial reforms offered by Havana are not sufficient to reach an agreement that would lift the pressure on the island.
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