Cuban President says country will "be ready" for possible U.S. attack

World Cuba will "be ready" for possible U.S. attack amid Trump threats, president says April 16, 2026 / 3:49 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Thursday that his country will "be ready" for a possible attack from the United States as President Trump's rhetoric against Cuba continues to escalate. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said his administration could focus on Cuba after the war in Iran ends.With Cuba's crisis deepening as a result of a U.S. energy blockade, Díaz-Canel said that he does not want U.S. military aggression to come to Cuba. He said that the country will be prepared to fight back if it happens."The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it," Díaz-Canel said.He spoke as tensions remain high between the two countries, at a rally commemorating the 65th anniversary of a historic speech by the late leader, Fidel Castro during a crisis with the United States.Threats against Cuba continueMr. Trump said earlier this week, "We may stop by Cuba after we finish with this," he said. He described the island as a "failing nation" and asserted that it's "been a terribly run country for a long time."The president previously has threatened to intervene in Cuba. At a news conference about the U.S. military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Mr. Trump warned that Cuba should be "concerned." His rhetoric escalated following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in U.S. strikes on Iran.  He told reporters in March at the White House that he believed he would have "the honor of taking Cuba" in some form or another.Mr. Trump has also threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. People attend...