After Iran, America’s next target could be Cuba. This is not a rumor, but a signal coming from the Cuban government itself. The government has clearly told its people – ‘Be prepared for war.’ Common citizens are being trained in guerrilla warfare across the country. After all, what happened suddenly that a small Caribbean country, which is just 145 kilometers away from America, started preparing its entire population for war?

CIA chief’s visit rang alarm bells

The biggest reason for tension is the sudden arrival of John Ratcliffe, Director of the American intelligence agency CIA, in Havana, the capital of Cuba, on May 15, 2026. This was no ordinary visit. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the visit of a CIA chief to Cuba is considered a very shocking event in itself. For the Cuban people, the very name of CIA is a symbol of years of enmity and conspiracies. There is even a museum in Havana, the capital of Cuba, which is filled with the infamous exploits of the CIA over the last several decades. Conspiracies ranging from making a cigar that would explode to kill Fidel Castro to using a poisoned scuba suit are recorded there. In such a situation, the landing of the head of the same agency in Havana was no less than a warning.

The timing of Ratcliffe’s visit is also very important. This happened at a time when Cuba is facing the worst economic and humanitarian crisis in its history. Cuba’s Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy clearly stated on state television that the country has no oil reserves left. He said, ‘The impact of the blockade is really hurting us because we are still not getting fuel.’ The situation is such that there is power cut for 30 hours continuously in the entire country including Eastern Cuba, due to which people have been forced to take to the streets and protest by banging utensils.

The CIA later issued a statement saying that Ratcliffe gave a clear message to Cuban officials, ‘Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for our enemies in this hemisphere.’ He also said that America is ready to seriously negotiate on economic and security issues, but for this Cuba will have to make ‘fundamental changes’.

Drone controversy: Is Cuba a threat or America’s excuse?

Just a few days after this visit, a shocking news came in the American media. On May 17, 2026, a news website named Axios, quoting an American intelligence report, claimed that Cuba had purchased more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran. Not only this, the report said that Cuba has also started discussing plans to attack the US naval base Guantanamo Bay, American warships and even Key West, Florida using these drones. This means that America’s soil can be in danger from a distance of just 145 kilometers.

The report quoted a senior US official as saying, ‘When you think that this kind of technology exists at such close proximity and that dangerous people ranging from terrorist groups to drug cartels, Iranians and Russians can use it, then it is a matter of concern. This is a growing threat.

However, in the same report itself it was clearly stated that American intelligence agencies do not currently believe that Cuba is going to launch an immediate attack or is actively planning such a thing. Despite this, this report came at a time when tension between the two countries is at its peak, increasing fears that the US is preparing the ground for military action against Cuba.

Cuba reacted strongly to this report. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cosio wrote on the social media platform Absurd allegations are being made continuously for this. America is the aggressor. Cuba is a country under attack and is acting in self-defense.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also said on Cuba neither threatens nor wants war.

Without any legitimate excuse, the government of #EEUU Build, day after day, a fraudulent file to justify the desperate economic war against the Cuban people and the eventual military aggression.

Specific press media play the game, promoting calumnies and…

—Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) May 17, 2026

Russia and China’s connection: America’s real concern

America’s real concern is not just drones, but the increasing military and intelligence presence of Russia and China in Cuba. According to American officials, signal intelligence centers of Russia and China are already active in Cuba and are working continuously. Reports also say that in recent months Cuba has asked for more drones and military equipment from Russia.

It has also been claimed that thousands of Cuban soldiers are fighting with the Russian army in the Ukraine war, which has given them experience in modern drone warfare. American officials say that these experienced soldiers are now returning to Cuba and mastering drone technology.

Cuba’s troubles started from Venezuela

The roots of Cuba’s current troubles lay in January 2026 last year, when the US military removed Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro from power. Venezuela was Cuba’s largest oil supplier and close ally. As soon as Maduro stepped down, America imposed a brutal economic blockade on Cuba. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2026 declaring Cuba a ‘threat to US national security’ and threatening to impose heavy tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba.

In a way, Venezuela was acting as a stepping stone for Cuba. Experts believe that the Trump administration had already targeted Cuba. Peter Kornbluh, a senior researcher at the National Security Archive, told Newsweek, ‘I think Cuba was a target that was planned even before the attack on Venezuela. Then Venezuela was seen as a stepping stone to reach Cuba.

Trump’s ‘carrot and stick’ policy

The interesting thing is that despite such strictness, the Trump administration is adopting a strange dual strategy. On one hand, he is bent on destroying Cuba economically, while on the other hand, he is also extending a helping hand. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio has proposed humanitarian aid of $100 million to Cuba, but with a condition that this aid will be distributed through the Catholic Church, not through the Cuban government.

President Trump himself even said in an interview with Fox News on May 16, 2026 that Cuba ‘will have to come to us’ and that he can turn Cuba around and bring it closer to America, away from Russia and China. Describing Cuba as a ‘completely failed state’, he said that Cuba needs help. Foreign affairs expert and retired JNU professor A. Of. Pasha is calling it a policy of ‘carrot and stick’. Additionally, America has also prepared to file a criminal case against 94-year-old former Cuban President Raul Castro for shooting down two humanitarian aircraft in 1996.

Cuba’s preparation: declaration of war by the people of the entire country

Amidst all these threats, Cuba is not sitting silent. The government has revived the military strategy of Fidel Castro’s era called ‘Guevara de Todo el Pueblo’. This is such a defensive strategy, in which in case of any major external attack, all the people and physical resources of the country are completely deployed.

Under this strategy, civilians are being trained in guerrilla warfare throughout Cuba. Such videos are being shown on government television, in which common people – elders, women, even students – are seen doing military exercises. In some videos, soldiers were seen practicing with old Soviet weapons, while one video showed an anti-aircraft gun being pulled on a bullock cart. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel himself marched against the American blockade.

Military historians believe that even though Cuba lacks modern weapons, its army and people together can offer a long and tough resistance to the American attack.

Concluded with success the firing exercises of the Army’s anti-air defense units.
Every maneuver, every exercise, was a demonstration of the combat cohesion that characterizes our troops.

¡AQUÍ NO SE RINDE NADIE! #FARCuba #LaPatriaSeDefiende pic.twitter.com/e08WdS9M0n

— Ejército Occidental (@EjtoOccidental) May 16, 2026

So will America really attack Cuba?

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after meeting Trump on May 8, 2026, claimed that Trump ‘has no intention of attacking Cuba.’ But the truth is that Trump has said many times before that after Venezuela and Iran, ‘Cuba is next.’ US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also described Cuba’s closeness to the US and the presence of foreign intelligence bases there as a constant risk to US security in a Congressional hearing.

A. Of. Pasha believes that Cuba is trapped in a dark tunnel. On one hand, its economy has collapsed due to the American blockade – no electricity, no fuel, shortage of medicine and food. On the other hand, the threat of military attack is constantly looming. A Cuban school teacher told Reuters, ‘If they prosecute Raul (Castro), we will protect Cuba even with sticks and stones.’