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The Pentagon avoided confirming on Thursday the existence of concrete plans for a possible military intervention in Cuba, but stated that U.S. armed forces are prepared to act if President Donald Trump gives the order.
The response from the Department of Defense came after the publication of a report by USA Today, which quoted two anonymous sources familiar with the internal guidelines, asserting that the Pentagon is refining plans regarding Cuba while awaiting direct orders from the president.
The Department of Defense responded to the EFE agency that it "would not speculate on hypothetical scenarios" and that the armed forces anticipate various contingencies and remains prepared to carry out the president's orders.
The information initially circulated in the publication Zeteo under the title "Is Cuba Next?" and quickly spread through the Capitol and political circles in Washington.
The statements from the Pentagon come amid a sustained escalation of tensions between Washington and Havana, fueled in part by Trump's own rhetoric. Last Monday, the president hinted at the White House: We might stop in Cuba after we finish with this," referring to the conflict with Iran.
That statement adds to a series of remarks that Trump has made in recent weeks. On March 27, he stated in Miami Beach: "Cuba is next, but pretend I didn't say that". On March 16, he had said at the White House: "I think I will have the honor of taking Cuba". And on March 30, he predicted from Air Force One that Cuba "will fail very soon and we will be there to help our great Cuban Americans".
Despite that rhetoric, in March, Trump had explicitly ruled out direct military actions against Cuba, prioritizing economic pressure. Experts like Brian Fonseca from the Jack D. Gordon Institute at Florida International University described the discussions within the Pentagon as "signaling" to warn the regime, rather than an imminent action.
In Congress, Democratic lawmakers have reacted with alarm. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez described yesterday as "madness" the notion of considering a conflict in Cuba and urged the approval of her war powers resolution. On March 26, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks and Pramila Jayapal introduced the bill "Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba" to prohibit the use of federal funds for military actions against the island without Congressional approval.
From Havana, President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned on Sunday in an interview on the Meet the Press program of NBC News that Cuba would defend itself "to the last drop of blood": "If it happens, there will be combat, there will be a fight. We will defend ourselves, and if we must die, we will die, because as our National Anthem says: 'To die for the Homeland is to live'."
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