Khaberni - President Donald Trump threatened to send an American aircraft carrier to Cuban shores after the end of the war with Iran, coinciding with a package of sanctions he imposed last Friday, targeting foreign banks dealing with Havana, as well as individuals and entities in various sectors including energy and mining, according to the White House.
Trump said in a speech he gave at the non-profit Palm Beach Forum last night, "Cuba has problems. On the way back from Iran, we will have one of the largest aircraft carriers, possibly the USS Abraham Lincoln - the largest in the world - and we will bring it to anchor about 100 yards from the shore, and they will say: Thank you very much. We surrender to you."
Package of Sanctions
Trump's threats coincided with his signing of an executive order that extends U.S. sanctions on the Cuban government, as part of his efforts to exert more pressure on Havana, according to two White House officials.
The officials mentioned that the new sanctions "target individuals, entities, and affiliated entities that support the Cuban government's security apparatus, are involved in corruption or serious human rights violations, alongside agents, officials, and supporters of the government."
The order issued by the White House states that sanctions can apply to "any foreign person" working in "sectors of energy, defense, related materials, metals and mining, financial services or security in the Cuban economy, or any other sector of the Cuban economy."
Cuban Mobilization
In Havana, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the new "coercive" U.S. actions reinforce "the brutal blockade and genocide" imposed by the United States on the island.
He added in a post on social media that "the blockade and its enhancement cause significant harm due to the bullying and arrogance of the world's largest military power."
Hundreds of thousands of Cubans participated in a massive gathering in front of the United States Embassy in Havana, on Friday, to "defend the homeland" with the participation of the leader Raul Castro (94 years old) and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel who called on Cubans through the X platform to mobilize "against the genocidal blockade and the blatant imperialist threats" of the United States.
Under the slogan "The homeland we defend," the authorities called for employees of government companies and public officials and members of the Cuban Communist Party to gather in a square opposite the U.S. Embassy, known as "the anti-imperialist platform."
The island, with a population of 9.6 million, is experiencing a deep economic crisis, exacerbated by the tightening of U.S. sanctions during Trump's first term (2017-2021), along with structural imbalances in its centrally planned economy, leading to near paralysis of activity since late January.
Nevertheless, high-level meetings were held on April 10 in Havana, involving a meeting of a U.S. official with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro - grandson of Raul Castro - who also attended the May 1 gathering.
