U.S. President Donald Trump said that a potential military operation against Cuba could be completed very quickly, similar to the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while describing the agreement reached with Iran as Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.”
Speaking in an interview with the U.S.-based news outlet Axios, Trump was asked whether a possible operation against Cuba could be carried out in a manner similar to the mission in Venezuela. He replied, “Probably possible.”
“These places are close to each other. If you look at Iran, on the other hand, it’s a very long trip. You know, I’ve flown to that region a few times, and it has nothing to do with this, but you’re flying for 18 hours. It’s a very long flight.”
Trump noted that Venezuela possesses significant oil reserves, unlike Cuba.
“Venezuela has oil; Cuba doesn’t. Cuba has beautiful land and a beautiful coastline.”
While avoiding a direct answer regarding a possible operation against Cuba, Trump said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, is closely involved with the issue.
“Unconditional Surrender”
Responding to criticism of the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran, Trump argued that the agreement effectively amounts to Iran’s unconditional surrender.
“Actually, it’s probably unconditional surrender. I think it is. Look, they don’t have an army. All 159 of the ships they had are at the bottom of the sea.”
“I’m the Boss — It Was a Joke”
Trump also addressed comments he made during the G7 Leaders’ Summit in France, where he jokingly referred to himself as “the boss.”
“I walked in, looked at these leaders and said, ‘I’m the boss.’ You remember that. You know it was a joke. The whole world picked it up. I can’t believe it. I was just being cute. It was funny. I wasn’t trying to be the boss.”