Senate Republicans warn Trump against Cuba military attack

Senate Republicans are cautioning President Trump against ordering military strikes against the socialist regime in Cuba, arguing the U.S. military already has its hands full with Iran.

The Trump administration, these Republicans say, should not be thinking about opening another front for the military in a midterm election year where voters are already showing their displeasure with the war in Iran.

They say finding a conclusion to the Iran war should be the nation’s, and the administration’s, priority.

Asked about the prospect of a U.S. military operation to topple Cuba’s regime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday said the conflict with Iran is a top national security priority.

“I think right now we’re focused on where we are and that is trying to get the Strait of Hormuz opened up,” he said.

Members of the Trump administration have long had Cuba in their sights, and officials have repeatedly made statements indicating action could come against Havana.

Trump said earlier this month that U.S. forces will take over Cuba “almost immediately” and floated the possibility of deploying an aircraft carrier group off the island’s coast.

In recent days, the U.S. Navy and Air Force have increased the number of intelligence gathering flights off of Cuba’s coast, renewing speculation that Trump could order another surprise operation similar to the one that led to the capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

But GOP lawmakers are cautioning Trump to stay focused on the conflict with Iran and finding a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where cargo traffic has slowed to a trickle, causing worldwide energy prices to surge and gas prices in the U.S. to rise precipitously.

Thune said he would “love” to see Cuba’s socialist government fall, but he expressed his preference that it happen “organically” from the economic pressure imposed from tightened U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade.

“I’d love to see regime change, we all would, in Cuba,” he said. “Maybe that happens just by force........

© The Hill