Iran War and Middle East Policy

President Donald Trump used a Friday speech at the Future Investment Initiative Institute Summit in Miami Beach to claim progress in negotiations with Iran and to signal that, after the Iran war, U.S. focus will shift to Cuba, saying, "And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend I didn't say that." Speaking at the Faena Forum, Trump said talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz were going well and again mocked critics by briefly calling it the "Strait of Trump," while insisting there are "no accidents" in his wording. He criticized NATO for being largely absent from Iran negotiations despite U.S. spending "hundreds of billions of dollars a year" on the alliance, suggesting that based on allies' actions the U.S. "doesn't have to" always be there for them. The remarks come after the administration’s role in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and follow earlier hard‑line rhetoric on controlling the Strait of Hormuz, further signaling an aggressive posture toward adversarial regimes in the region even as details of any Iran deal or specific Cuba policy remain vague. The Cuba line is already circulating widely on social media, with hawks treating it as a promise of regime‑change pressure and critics warning it telegraphs potential escalation in a region where U.S. sanctions and blockades are already driving humanitarian strain.