
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Cuba is going to “fall pretty soon,” while making clear that his immediate priority remains the campaign against Iran, in remarks that widened the White House’s confrontational language toward both the Middle East and Latin America. Trump made the comments in a phone conversation with CNN anchor Dana Bash.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration is holding talks with Cuba and suggested the process could lead to a potential “friendly takeover” of the island, portraying Havana as facing acute economic and supply strains.

Cuba said on Thursday that a civilian speedboat departing from the United States was attempting “an infiltration for terrorist purposes” when it was intercepted in Cuban territorial waters, in an incident that left four people dead and six wounded among the boat’s occupants, as well as one injured Cuban officer.

February 25, 2026. Cuba said its border guard forces killed four people and wounded six others during an exchange of fire with a civilian speedboat registered in Florida that, according to Havana, entered Cuban territorial waters and failed to comply with an order to stop.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held discreet talks with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson and caretaker of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, bypassing official Cuban government channels, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the outreach.

A large fire broke out on Friday at the Ñico López refinery in Cuba’s capital, sending a thick column of black smoke into the sky that was visible from multiple points around Havana Bay. Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the blaze or the extent of any damage, while emergency crews remained on scene.

President Gabriel Boric’s government said on Thursday it will send humanitarian aid to Cuba, as the island faces a deepening economic and energy crisis.

Cuba has warned international airlines that it will run out of aviation fuel starting Monday, widening an energy emergency that has already disrupted transport, public services and economic activity — and now threatens to further squeeze tourism, one of the island’s main sources of hard currency.

Cuba’s fuel shortage is rippling through daily life, with Havana’s urban bus network largely shut down, hospitals preparing to scale back non-urgent services, and longer planned blackouts announced in some areas—while social-media reports pointed to pots-and-pans protests in parts of the capital.

US President Donald Trump said his administration is talking with “the highest people” in Cuba and voiced confidence that a deal could be reached, even as Washington tightens economic pressure aimed at restricting the island’s fuel lifeline.