Trump Orders Naval Stopover Off Cuba

President Donald Trump ordered American warships to halt 50 yards off the coast of Cuba as they return from operations in Iran. This directive followed a social media post by Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging Cubans to seek a private partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency to drive political change.

The president first proposed this naval maneuver earlier in 2026 but had not discussed it in recent months. He reintroduced the idea on Friday during a campaign rally for candidates in South Florida. Responding to a shout from the crowd regarding the island, Trump explained that ships passing Cuba on their return from the Iran war would make a brief stop. He stated, "We'll do a little stopover," describing how one ship would stop 50 yards offshore and its crew would raise their hands. Trump added, "And then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal."

Rubio's message to Cubans came shortly after the rally. In a post addressed to those seeking positive change, he cited corruption and broken promises as reasons to act now. He encouraged citizens to create change "through a discrete [sic] partnership with the CIA." Rubio, whose parents emigrated before the socialist revolution, used the word "discrete" where he likely intended "discreet," indicating a secret arrangement rather than a separate one.

Havana reacted quickly to the news. Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked the strategy on X. He wrote that the United States was "resorting to public recruitment for the CIA." He added that the agency must be in a state of desperation or misery if it feels forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.

The two leaders have maintained an aggressive posture toward the island since May. That month, Trump and Rubio raised the prospect of military action, a threat that gained weight after the administration filed criminal charges against former leader Raúl Castro. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he would be the president to intervene, noting that his predecessors had considered it for decades. Rubio described Cuba as a national security threat due to its ties to US adversaries and expressed doubt that a peaceful resolution was possible with the current government.

Diplomatic efforts have been inconsistent in the interim. Senior US aides met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore better relations, but the American side expressed disappointment, leading to new sanctions. In September, Rubio told Fox News host Sean Hannity that "Cuba has already fallen," describing an economy that is no longer functional. He said the US would not allow the island to become a base of operations against American interests, though he did not mention any CIA role at the time.

Tensions escalated at the United Nations earlier this week. The two governments clashed as Washington sought to build opposition to an upcoming annual vote condemning the US economic embargo. Trump had previously told reporters in October that he expected the two countries "will make a deal" and did not think the military would be needed. He described Rubio as being "deep into negotiations with Cuba" during his address to the UN general assembly last month.

Cuba has faced an economic and energy crisis since 2020. The country's gross domestic product has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have endured blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. Waves of protests have occurred, prompting hundreds of thousands of Cubans to emigrate, with many moving to the United States.