
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.

Lionel Messi made his first visit to the White House on Thursday, joining the Inter Miami squad as President Donald Trump honored the club for winning the 2025 MLS Cup, secured in December with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to restore diplomatic and consular relations, in a formal shift that ends a rupture dating back to 2019 and deepens the bilateral thaw that began after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. The announcement was made on Thursday by the State Department.

U.S. President Donald Trump will host leaders from 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries in Doral, Florida, on March 7 for the so-called Shield of the Americas Summit, a meeting the White House is framing as a forum on security, migration and hemispheric cooperation. The gathering comes amid a broader U.S. diplomatic and military push in the region and just weeks before Trump is expected to travel to China.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that their naval force struck a US oil tanker in the northern Gulf and that the vessel “is on fire,” raising fresh concerns about maritime security tied to the regional conflict and the safety of the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most sensitive energy choke points.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in Caracas on Wednesday that opportunities for cooperation between Washington and Venezuela “have no limits,” highlighting the South American country’s mineral potential during a visit focused on mining and access to critical minerals.

The United States intensified its air campaign against Iran on Tuesday as Operation Epic Fury entered its fourth day, introducing B-52 strategic bombers into combat operations and reporting that “nearly 2,000” targets have been hit so far.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to impose a total trade embargo on Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government refused to allow the use of the Rota and Morón bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

Donald Trump criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for refusing to take part in strikes against Iran and said the long-standing US-UK “special relationship” is “not what it was,” in remarks carried by Britain’s The Sun and reported by Reuters.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday the Strait of Hormuz is now “closed” and threatened to attack any vessel attempting to transit, in the most explicit warning yet against the Gulf’s main maritime chokepoint. A Guards commander said they would set any ship “ablaze” if it tried to pass, according to remarks carried by Reuters.