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On Friday, President Trump addressed a business forum in Miami, attended by Saudi representatives, where he highlighted what he perceived as significant U.S. achievements in its conflict with Iran. Additionally, he issued a stern warning that Cuba might be his administration’s next focus.
While Trump’s speech predominantly revolved around Middle Eastern affairs, he didn’t shy away from criticizing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He expressed dissatisfaction with NATO’s lack of support for Washington’s ongoing conflict with Tehran. During his address, Trump declared, “For 47 years, Iran has been the bully of the Middle East, but they’re no longer in that position. They’re on the run.” His statements were met with mild applause from the audience at the Future Investment Initiative.
Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Trump claimed that had the U.S. not taken decisive military action, Iran would have developed a nuclear weapon in as little as “two to four weeks.” He argued that the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites the previous year had significantly delayed their nuclear ambitions by several years.
Speaking directly to the Saudi audience, Trump warned of the potential consequences if Iran had succeeded, stating, “They would have used it on you, on Israel, and everyone else.” His remarks underscored the administration’s aggressive stance on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
“They would have used it on you, and on Israel, and on everyone else,” he said, addressing the Saudi attendees.
Trump also suggested that top Saudi leaders underestimated him ahead of his second administration.
“A short time ago we were together and he looked at me and he said you know it’s amazing one year ago you were a dead country, now you’re the hottest country in the world. He didn’t think this was going to happen,” the president said, in reference to private meetings he had with Saudi leaders after calling out the king and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
And in a shift in tone, he appeared to take some light jabs at the kingdom’s leadership.
“He didn’t think he would be kissing my ass. He really didn’t. He thought [I’d] be just another American president that was a loser with a country that is going downhill. But now he has to be nice to me. You tell him to be nice to me,” he said to the crowd.
The president also hinted at potential action against Cuba,
“And Cuba is next by the way, but pretend I didn’t say that,” he said. “Please, please, please, media, disregard that statement. Thank you very much.”
Trump’s remarks on Cuba are the latest in which he has hinted at taking action in Havana in the midst of the Iran war and in the aftermath of the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela in January.
Trump is working to pressure Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canal into an agreement with the U.S., but has provided little detail on the potential terms of such an agreement.
Last week, Trump said he believes he would have the “honor” of taking over Cuba, saying he “can do anything I want with it.”
Trump’s address to the forum marks his second time talking to the group in his second term. During the first appearance, all eyes were on Russia and Ukraine, with the president suggesting that Riyadh could be a meeting place for peace negotiations in that war.
This time, Trump spent most of his time talking about U.S.-Israel joint mission in Iran and the taking out of its military capabilities to an audience that has also seen attacks on its country by Iran over the last month.
The forum comes as the economic markets remain volatile amid concerns over the war’s impact especially on the energy sector.
Trump sought to project confidence in the U.S. economy throughout his remarks, noting “our economy is booming again.”
“When this war ends, it’s gonna be like a rocket ship. I thought we were gonna go down more and I thought oil prices were gonna go up higher than they are. It’s not finished yet. It’s sort of finished, but it’s not finished,” he said.