President Donald Trump has said a potential invasion of Cuba by the US could likely resemble the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
"Possibly. It's possible," Trump told Axios Thursday in response to a query on whether a Cuba operation similar to the Venezuela mission could unfold, triggering talk that the US could set its eyes on Cuba as the Middle East conflict moves toward a final resolution.
Maduro was transported to New York in January to face federal narcotics charges after being captured by US forces in a swift operation.
The Trump administration quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami not to pursue criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime figure in Nicolás Maduro's inner circle, Associated Press reported last month.
The US president has been flaunting the US dominance in the Western Hemisphere in his second term.
Cuba's Ambassador to the US Lianys Torres Rivera said earlier in June that recent sanctions against the country's leadership are a "pretext" to conduct a military intervention.
In May, Cuban leader Raul Castro was indicted over the downing of two civilian aircraft in the 1990s. According to the indictment, Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft.
In the conversation on The Axios Show, Trump also acknowledged the difficulty in finding a resolution to the Iran conflict was due to the fact that Tehran had a "more powerful" military and and is far away.
Trump's statements indicate the US thinking that Cuba could be easier to overpower, and also sparks concerns that it could be the next invasion being planned by the administration once a peace deal is finally clinched in the Middle East.
"These places are close by. Whereas if you look at Iran, that's a very long trip... Venezuela is relatively close and Cuba is a hopscotch," he said.
Trump also did not hesitate to link theVenezuela operation to its natural resources.: "Venezuela has oil. Cuba doesn't."
In May, Axios reported that the US government seeks to continue putting pressure on Havana to cause its failure, rather than resorting to military action.
The Trump administration has repeatedly hinted about a "friendly takeover" of Cuba. Earlier reports hinted the US was expecting the possibility of a collapse of the regime in Havana as early as this summer.
Trump also did not offer any timeline for a probable Cuban operation, though he said, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has roots in Cuba, is involved in the planning.
The Trump administration also unveiled a set of sanctions against the regime recently, targeting its military-industrial complex, its leader and a state-backed natural resources company.
The sanctions form part of the US administration's comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuban regime, Rubio had said.
The sanctions also target Cuba's Grupo de Administracion Empresarial, or GAESA, which controls most of the country's economy.
