Pentagon steps up planning for possible military action in Cuba, reports USA Today

The Pentagon is stepping up contingency planning for a possible military operation in Cuba, in case US President Donald Trump orders an intervention on the island country, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Citing two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the report said the directives appear to reflect an escalation of recent tensions between the two countries since January, when the Trump administration imposed new oil restrictions on Cuba and issued military threats as part of a broader plan to force political changes there.

In a statement to the newspaper, the Pentagon said it "plans for a range of contingencies and remains prepared to execute the president's orders as directed."

On Monday, Trump threatened again that Cuba would be Washington's next target following attacks on Venezuela and Iran.

"We may stop by Cuba after we're finished with this," Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to the US-Israeli war against Iran, which started on February 28.

In an interview with NBC aired Sunday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that dialogue with the United States is possible but difficult.

Cuba is willing to engage with Washington on issues such as migration, drug trafficking and security, but only based on "respect and equality," Diaz-Canel said.

Expressing concerns about recent US rhetoric, he said that should an invasion of Cuba happen, "we will battle, we will defend ourselves."

Cuba has been facing a severe economic and energy crisis since the US military raided Venezuela and took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by force on January 3. The US operation on Caracas has heavily disrupted Cuba's oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico afterward.

(Cover: File photo of the Pentagon, the headquarters for the US Department of Defense. /VCG)