The day after Cuba was crippled by another 24-hour nationwide blackout, US President Donald Trump suggested the country was next on his administration’s agenda, saying it was “just a question of time” before there would be change on the island.

Standing in front of an awkward-looking Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and the other stars of the Inter Miami soccer team on Thursday, Trump told the team’s owner, Cuban-born magnate Jorge Mas, that they would soon be “celebrating what’s going on in Cuba”, adding that the Cuban authorities “want to make a deal. So badly you have no idea”.
“It’s going to be an amazing day,” replied Mas.

In a conversation with the broadcaster CNN on Friday, Trump said: “Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon”.
He added that the island’s leadership is negotiating a deal and he was “going to put Marco [Rubio] over there and we’ll see how that works out”.
The present focus was on Iran, he said, adding: “But we’ve got plenty of time. Cuba’s ready – after 50 years.”

While the exact timeframe is not clear, what emerges from Trump’s latest comments is that he and his administration intend to keep up the pressure on Cuba as a key part of his plans in the region.