Sen. Lindsey Graham declared Sunday that Cuba is “next” on President Donald Trump’s target list, warning the communist island nation that its “days are numbered” following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader over the weekend.
The South Carolina Republican made the stunning prediction during an appearance on Fox News, praising Trump’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy approach and comparing the president favorably to Ronald Reagan. Graham pointed to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January as evidence that Trump delivers results where other presidents have only talked.
“Cuba’s next. They’re gonna fall. This communist dictatorship in Cuba? Their days are numbered,” Graham told Fox News host Trey Gowdy, speaking just days after joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Graham framed Cuba as the next domino in what he described as Trump’s campaign to dismantle hostile regimes aligned against American interests. The senator drew a direct line from the president’s handling of Venezuela to what may come next for the Caribbean island.
“Maduro? Everybody talked about him; well, Donald Trump’s got him in jail!” Graham declared, referring to the Venezuelan leader’s January capture and transfer to New York on narco-terrorism charges. U.S. special forces extracted Maduro and his wife from their Caracas compound on January 3 in what Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called “the most successful special operations raid ever.”
The remarks come as tensions between Washington and Havana have escalated dramatically in recent weeks. Cuba faces its worst economic crisis in decades, compounded by the sudden loss of Venezuelan fuel shipments following Maduro’s capture. The island’s government warned international airlines in early February that jet fuel would no longer be available at its airports, prompting major Canadian airlines to suspend all Cuba flights. Russian carriers Rossiya Airlines and Nordwind Airlines followed suit, evacuating tourists before halting normal operations indefinitely.
Without international flights, Cuba loses critical tourism revenue, one of its few remaining sources of foreign currency. Canada alone sent more than 754,000 visitors to the island in 2025. The communist nation remains under a decades-old U.S. trade embargo and was re-designated as a state sponsor of terrorism during Trump’s previous term.
Trump himself has hinted at potential action regarding Cuba. Speaking to reporters Friday outside the White House, the president revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was conducting high-level discussions with Cuban officials and floated the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”
“The Cuban government is talking with us. They have no money. They have no anything right now. But they’re talking to us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump said.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded by stating his government was “willing to engage in dialogue with the United States… but without pressure or preconditions.” He emphasized that any talks must proceed “from a position of equals” with respect for Cuba’s sovereignty. Meanwhile, Díaz-Canel has warned Cubans to prepare for a potential “state of war,” announcing defense plans had been updated.
The situation grew more volatile last week when a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed individuals opened fire on Cuban soldiers off the island’s north coast near Cayo Falcones. Four were killed and six wounded in the February 25 confrontation, which Cuba says was an attempted “armed infiltration for terrorist purposes.” At least one U.S. citizen was among the dead. Rubio confirmed the U.S. was investigating independently, noting that shootouts in open water are “highly unusual.”
Graham positioned Trump’s foreign policy as surpassing that of Reagan, long considered the gold standard among Republicans. The senator specifically praised Trump for “finishing the job” Reagan could not complete with Iran, where U.S. military operations began Saturday with B-2 stealth bombers striking ballistic missile facilities.
The Iranian operation, which Trump said would likely last “four to five weeks,” has already resulted in significant casualties. Six Americans have been killed in the conflict — the first U.S. combat deaths in Operation Epic Fury — while U.S. forces destroyed 11 Iranian warships, including Iran’s recently commissioned drone carrier. Iranian officials have vowed they will not negotiate with Washington.
Rubio warned Monday that “the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military,” signaling the campaign against Iran will intensify before it concludes. He added that the next phase would be “even more punishing.”
Graham also praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the two leaders “the modern day Roosevelt and Churchill” in their joint approach to confronting Iran. “Their leadership in the fight against evil is unparalleled,” Graham wrote on social media.
Whether Graham’s prediction about Cuba proves accurate remains an open question. The White House has not confirmed whether military action or diplomatic pressure will be the administration’s primary approach to the island nation. What is certain: Cuba’s government faces mounting economic pressure and declining international support, leaving Havana in an increasingly precarious position as the Trump administration pursues aggressive action across multiple fronts. With the Iranian regime reeling and Venezuela’s former strongman in a Brooklyn jail cell, Rubio’s message to Havana could not be clearer: make a deal or face the consequences.