March 16, 2026 — Havana, Cuba / Washington D.C.
President Donald Trump declared Monday that he will have the "honor of taking Cuba" — in whatever form he chooses — as the Caribbean island of 11 million people plunged into total darkness after its national electrical grid completely collapsed under the weight of a U.S.-imposed oil blockade that has been squeezing the island for three months. Stars are now clearly visible at night over Havana. Food is rotting. Hospitals are cutting services. Gas costs more than $300 to fill a single tank — more than most Cubans earn in a year. And in the central city of Morón, anti-government protesters attacked a Communist Party office in a rare outburst of public fury. Cuba — the last major Cold War standoff just 90 miles from Florida — is collapsing in real time.
Trump's Stunning Declaration: 'I Can Do Anything I Want With It'
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump was asked whether Cuba was "next" after Iran and Venezuela. His response left no room for ambiguity.
"You know, all my life I've been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?" Trump said.
He continued: "I do believe I'll be… having the honor of taking Cuba. That's a big honor. Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it — I think I can do anything I want with it."
When a reporter pressed him directly — "When you say Cuba is next... Will that look more like Iran or Venezuela?" — Trump replied: "I can't tell you that. I can tell you they're talking to us. It's a failed nation… It's a beautiful island."
He added: "Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon — either make a deal or do whatever we have to do. We're talking to Cuba, but we're going to do Iran before Cuba."
The remarks were the most explicit Trump has ever been about his intentions toward Cuba — going further than his previous hints about a "friendly takeover" and leaving open the possibility of military action against the island.
The Blackout: Cuba Goes Dark — 11 Million Without Power
The backdrop to Trump's declaration was impossible to ignore. Cuba's national energy grid completely collapsed Monday, causing an island-wide blackout.
Cuba's national electric grid collapsed on Monday, the country's grid operator said, leaving about 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade. The Ministry of Energy and Mines on X noted a "complete disconnection" of the country's electrical system and said it was investigating, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when the grid collapsed.
State media later reported that crews had restored power to 5 percent of Havana's residents, representing some 42,000 customers, as well as several hospitals across the island. Officials said they would prioritise the communications sector next, all while warning that the small circuits restored so far could fail again.
It was the third major blackout in Cuba over the past four months.
The human stories emerging from Havana and across the island were devastating:
- 🕯️ Mercedes Velázquez, 71: "We're here waiting to see what happens. Everything goes bad." She gave away part of a soup she had made while it was still fresh — so it wouldn't rot before she could eat it.
- 🚶 Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61: "What little we have to eat spoils. Our people are too old to keep suffering." The relentless outages made him think Cubans who can leave should just pack up and go.
- 🎵 Musician Lazaro Caron: "There's nothing we can do but face it and keep moving forward, see what happens."
- 🏠 Dayana Machin, Havana resident: Told Reuters the latest outage doesn't surprise her — and that civilians should prepare "with wood-burning stoves, solar panels, water reserves, and gas reserves."
- 🏖️ Miguel, Airbnb host, Varadero: The beach resort city is usually spared from outages — but not this time. "The scope is different," he said.
At night in Havana, with almost no artificial light, the stars are often clearly visible as most of the city is swathed in near total darkness.
How the US Oil Blockade Brought Cuba to Its Knees
To understand Monday's blackout, you have to understand what has happened to Cuba's energy supply over the past three months — and how deliberately it has been engineered by Washington.
The cascade of cuts began in January 2026, when Trump captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges. Venezuela had been Cuba's most important foreign benefactor — sending hundreds of thousands of barrels of subsidized oil to the island every month for decades. With Maduro gone and his government in chaos, that flow stopped completely. Venezuela, once Cuba's main oil supplier, has sent no fuel to the island this year.
Trump then went further — threatening steep tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.
The effect was immediate and devastating. Cuba has received only two small vessels carrying oil imports this year, according to Reuters. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that no oil had been delivered to the island in the last three months.
The consequences of the blockade extend far beyond the power grid:
- ⛽ Gas prices: Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much that gas can be as much as $9 a liter on the unofficial market, meaning it costs more than $300 to fill up a car's gas tank — which is more than most Cubans earn in a year.
- 🏥 Hospitals: Many government-run hospitals have cut services.
- 🗑️ Trash: Lack of fuel and working dump trucks has caused trash to pile up across whole neighborhoods.
- 🚌 Transport: The government has announced emergency measures including reduced school hours and cutting transport services.
- 💊 Medical supplies: A rationing of medical supplies has begun.
- 🏨 Tourism: A significant decrease in tourism has been reported.
Cuba's Crumbling Grid: 'A Perfect Storm of Collapse'
It would be misleading to blame the blackout entirely on Trump's blockade — Cuba's electrical infrastructure was already in catastrophic shape before January 2026.
William LeoGrande, a professor at American University who has tracked Cuba for years, said the country's energy grid hasn't been maintained properly and its infrastructure is "way past its normal useful life." "The technicians working on the grid are magicians to keep it running at all given the shape that it's in," LeoGrande said.
"And on top of all that, the Cuban government doesn't have the hard currency to import spare parts or upgrade the plant or grid itself. It's just a perfect storm of collapse," LeoGrande said. He noted that the thermoelectric plants also have been using heavy oil, whose sulfur content is corroding the equipment.
LeoGrande said that if the island drastically reduces consumption and expands renewables, it can struggle along for a while without oil shipments. "But it would be constant misery for the general population, and eventually, the economy could collapse just completely and then you would have social chaos and probably mass migration," he said.
Protests Erupt: Communist Party Office Attacked
Anti-government protesters attacked a Communist Party office in central Cuba, a state-run newspaper reported, in a rare outburst of public dissent triggered by blackouts exacerbated by a US oil blockade.
On Saturday, residents of the central Cuban city of Morón took to the streets to protest problems with the electricity supply and access to food — one of the most visible expressions of public anger in Cuba in years.
Cuba has a long history of suppressing public dissent. The government's ability to contain the current protests may depend on how quickly — and whether — it can restore power and begin addressing the humanitarian crisis unfolding across the island.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said in response to Monday's blackout: "Officials in the US government must be feeling very happy by the harm caused to every Cuban family."
Secret US-Cuba Negotiations: Washington Wants Díaz-Canel Out
Behind the scenes, the two countries have been talking. The Trump administration is looking for Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to leave power as Washington continues to negotiate with the Cuban government about the island nation's future, AP reported, citing a US official and a source with knowledge of talks between Washington and Havana.
This was confirmed just days after Díaz-Canel himself — for the first time publicly — acknowledged that his government had held talks with the Trump administration. The Cuban president's admission was significant: it represented a break from Cuba's decades-long policy of refusing to acknowledge any negotiation that could be seen as capitulation to American pressure.
The deputy prime minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, told reporters Monday that Cuba is open to trading with U.S. companies while noting the embargo's limitations. He said he's also implementing new measures aimed at boosting the island's economy. Among those is the possibility of allowing Cubans residing abroad to be partners or owners of private companies in the country.
Trump confirmed Sunday: "Cuba wants to make a deal." The question — given his declaration that he intends to "take" Cuba — is what kind of deal he has in mind.
The Venezuela Model: DOJ Files Charges, Regime Falls
The Trump administration's approach to Cuba appears to be following the same playbook used against Venezuela — with one key addition: criminal prosecution.
The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department has formed a working group to examine possible federal charges against officials or entities within Cuba's government — following the same model used against Maduro, who was indicted on drug trafficking charges in 2020 and ultimately captured in January 2026.
The implication is stark: if Cuba's leadership does not negotiate on Washington's terms, the DOJ could indict Díaz-Canel — creating the same kind of legal pressure that ultimately brought Maduro to New York in handcuffs.
The Global Context: Cuba Caught Between Iran War and Blockade
Cuba's collapse is not happening in isolation. It is unfolding simultaneously with the U.S.-Israel war against Iran — now in its 17th day — and the resulting Strait of Hormuz closure that has sent global energy prices surging.
The global oil price spike caused by the Iran war has made it even harder for Cuba to find affordable alternative suppliers. Russia and Mexico — two of Cuba's remaining oil sources — are themselves facing economic pressure from the global disruption. The U.S. tariff threat has deterred even countries that might otherwise have been willing to sell Cuba oil quietly.
For 11 million Cubans, the combination of a crumbling 60-year-old electrical grid, no Venezuelan oil, global energy market chaos, and an American president who says he'll "take" their country has created a humanitarian emergency with no obvious short-term exit.
What Happens Next? Three Scenarios
Scenario 1 — Negotiated Transition (Most Likely)
Díaz-Canel negotiates his own exit — possibly with guarantees of personal safety and an amnesty arrangement similar to what Maduro was reportedly offered before rejecting it. A transitional government takes over. The U.S. lifts the oil blockade. Cuba begins a slow economic opening. Probability: Moderate. The secret talks suggest both sides are probing this outcome.
Scenario 2 — Regime Collapse From Within
The blackouts, food shortages, and fuel crisis trigger a mass uprising that overwhelms the Cuban government's security apparatus. Díaz-Canel flees or is removed by the military. Cuba undergoes a chaotic transition without a negotiated framework. Probability: Growing. The Morón protests are a warning sign. Cuba's security forces are not immune to the same fuel and food shortages affecting the general population.
Scenario 3 — Military Action (Lowest Probability But Not Zero)
Trump launches military strikes on Cuba — or an armed intervention. His rhetoric ("whether I free it, take it") leaves this option explicitly open. Given that the U.S. is already fighting a war in Iran, a simultaneous military operation against Cuba would stretch American military resources enormously and generate massive international opposition. Probability: Low — but Trump's track record of surprising action makes it non-negligible.
Key Facts at a Glance
- 🇨🇺 Cuba population: ~11 million
- ⚡ Blackout status: Complete national grid collapse — March 16, 2026
- 🔋 Power restored: Only 5% of Havana (42,000 customers) as of Monday night
- 📅 Previous major blackouts: 3 in past 4 months
- 🛢️ Venezuelan oil to Cuba in 2026: Zero barrels
- 🛢️ Total oil received in 3 months: Two small vessels (Reuters)
- ⛽ Black market gas price: $9/liter — $300+ to fill a tank
- 💬 Trump's declaration: "Honor of taking Cuba — whether I free it, take it"
- 🤝 Secret negotiations: Confirmed by Díaz-Canel — Washington wants him out
- ⚖️ DOJ Cuba working group: Examining federal charges against Cuban officials
- 🇻🇪 Venezuela comparison: Maduro indicted 2020 → captured January 2026
- 😤 Cuba protests: Communist Party office attacked in Morón
- 🌍 US pressure since January: Venezuela oil cut + tariff threats on all Cuba oil suppliers
📡 Sources: Washington Post (March 16, 2026), CNN (March 16), Al Jazeera (March 16), NPR/AP (March 16), CBC News (March 16), The National News (March 16), Boston Herald/AP (March 16), RedState (March 16).
🔄 Last updated: March 17, 2026.
🔖 Tags: Cuba Blackout 2026, Trump Cuba, Taking Cuba, Cuba Power Grid, Cuba Oil Blockade, Miguel Diaz-Canel, Venezuela Maduro, Cuba Protests, US Cuba Negotiations, Latin America Trump
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