U.S. President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Cuba, raising fears that his repeated threats of military action against the Caribbean island could soon materialize. A CNN report citing Flightradar24 data indicated that since February, U.S. military surveillance flights near Cuba’s coast have risen sharply. Last Thursday, Washington imposed additional sanctions on Havana, which Cuba condemned as collective punishment aimed at civilians amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Cuban officials blamed U.S. fuel blockades for the crisis, while Trump signaled that an aircraft carrier returning from Iran might be deployed near Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Cuba’s economic system as unfixable, calling its leadership “incompetent communists.” A White House official told Axios that Cuba is a failed state nearing collapse, while the State Department accused Havana of ignoring public suffering and refusing reforms.

Analysts suggested Trump may favor limited military actions similar to those in Iran rather than a ground invasion, as Washington renews its focus on Cuba following uncertainty in the Iran conflict.