The president Donald Trump issued a direct warning on Monday regarding reports of possible Iranian drones in Cuba, asserting that Washington will act swiftly if their presence on the island is confirmed.
"If they have them, and they very well could, we will take care of that in no time. We are not going to have a problem. We will not allow it to happen," declared the leader, according to the official rapid response account of the White House on the social media platform X.
Trump also revealed that the situation is currently under investigation: "It could be that they are storing some. We are looking into it now. It could be that way, and maybe it isn’t."
During his statements, the president mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio —“Marco is just in the other room”— making it clear that the head of U.S. diplomacy is directly involved in managing the issue.
As context, the statements come at the peak of a military escalation between Washington and Tehran.
This Monday, the United States Central Command carried out a third wave of bombings against Iran, bringing the total to over 300 targets destroyed in less than a week, after accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The background of Trump's warning dates back to May 17, 2026, when Axios published classified intelligence indicating that Cuba had acquired over 300 military attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, stored in strategic locations across the island.
According to that intelligence, Cuban military officials allegedly discussed plans to use those devices against the Guantanamo Naval Base, U.S. military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida.
The identified model is the Shahed-136 from Iran, the same one used by Russia in the war against Ukraine.
The congressman Carlos Giménez warned on July 8 that this drone "has a range of about 2,500 kilometers, which means it can reach New York from Cuba," and added: "If Cuba has 300 of these aircraft, it undoubtedly represents a threat to the United States."
On July 8, the organization United Against Iranian Nuclear (UANI) unveiled a replica of the Shahed-136 in Miami, with the participation of former President Jeb Bush and Ambassador Mark Wallace, who warned: "Miami, Florida, is within the range of Iranian drones cooperating with the Cuban regime."
The diplomatic tension has also manifested in concrete actions. The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, made an unannounced visit to Havana on May 14— the first by an agency director in over a decade— to directly warn the regime against any acts of hostility.
A CIA official stated: "Director Ratcliffe made it clear that Cuba cannot continue to be a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere."
The Cuban regime has neither confirmed nor denied the acquisition of the drones, although it has maintained that Cuba has the sovereign right to equip itself with the necessary means for its defense.
Bush summarized the seriousness of the moment with a warning that strongly resonates in the current context: "Cuba continues to pose a risk to our country, and Iran is its ally."
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