On March 29, 2026, President Donald Trump visited Andrews Joint Base and spoke with the media aboard Air Force One. Trump stated that Iran had undergone a regime change and was sending several oil tankers as a gesture of respect to the United States. He also explicitly warned that after addressing Iran, Cuba would be the next target.
Below is a transcript of President Trump’s remarks on Iran and Cuba, with edits for clarity. The original transcript can be found here.
President Trump: Hello everyone.
Today we had very good negotiations with Iran. We got a lot of things they should have given us long ago. We’ll see how things turn out. But the terms are very good. Progress is going very smoothly. The U.S. destroyed many additional targets today. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. We know that. We destroyed a lot of targets today.
Today is an important day. We are negotiating with them both directly and indirectly.
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We have envoys, but we are also negotiating directly. As you know, two days ago they agreed to send eight oil tankers, then added two more, making a total of 10.
Today, as a gesture—I’m not sure exactly how to define it—but I think out of respect, we have 20 oil-carrying ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Starting tomorrow morning, there will be a large number of ships passing through in the coming days.
I just want to say we are making extremely smooth progress in negotiations.
But you never know when dealing with Iran. Because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to bomb them.
Whether it’s sending B-2 bombers or, as I did before, directly terminating the Iran nuclear deal signed by Barack Hussein Obama.
(The Iran nuclear deal signed by Obama) was probably the worst deal our country has ever made.
Also one of the dumbest deals I’ve ever seen. Fortunately, I ended it; otherwise, they would already have nuclear weapons. Later, we used B-2 bombers to strike them, preventing them from having nuclear weapons, and now we have to bomb them again. I think we are very likely to reach an agreement with them. Quite certain.
But it’s also possible we won’t. But regime change has already happened.
You see, the first regime was completely destroyed. They were all wiped out. The second regime is basically gone as well. As for this third regime, the people we’re dealing with now are completely different from anyone we’ve dealt with before. This is a brand-new group.
So I think this counts as regime change. Frankly, they’ve been very reasonable. So I think we have achieved regime change, and the performance has been excellent.
The truly evil, really bad regime was the first to be eliminated. The second (regime/team) was appointed, but they are done for. Except for maybe one surviving member, everyone else is gone.
Now we are really dealing with the third group, and they seem much more reasonable. This is indeed a regime change, although regime change wasn’t necessary, but I think we’ve achieved it naturally.
Q: Sir, do you foresee reaching an agreement with Iran next week?
A: I do think we will reach an agreement with Iran, possibly very soon.
Q: Are you still considering deploying ground forces? Could you do it without sparking conflict?
A: I have many options. We have a large fleet deployed in the region. We don’t actually need to use all our forces because, you know, our deterrence is clear.
Just like the White House banquet hall project was accelerated, we are far ahead on the Iran issue as well. We are weeks ahead of schedule.
As I said at the time, in three days we would destroy 158 ships and their entire navy—we did it. We destroyed their entire air force. We destroyed most of their missiles.
That’s why you see only sporadic missile attacks; they are almost finished, just barely hanging on.
We are now facing a group of new people. This is indeed a new regime. People we’ve never dealt with before, and they’ve been very reasonable. This is indeed regime change.
Q: Is Ali Khamenei’s son still alive, sir? Is he still involved?
A: We think he may still be alive. No one has heard from him. He may still be alive, but his situation is clearly very bad. He’s seriously injured.
Q: Did Iran respond to your 15-point plan?
A: They responded. They agreed to most points. Why wouldn’t they?
Q: You make it sound like they made concessions. Can you specify which ones?
A: They agreed to our plan. We proposed 15 points; most were accepted. We will propose a few more.
To show their sincerity, they sent these oil tankers. Four days ago, I mentioned a gift, but I didn’t specify. That gift was the ‘eight plus two’, meaning 10 fully loaded oil ships. Today, they sent another big gift—20 oil tankers. The oil will begin shipping tomorrow.
We are having very good direct and indirect talks. I think we are making many very important advances.
Q: On Friday, you mentioned Cuba would be next. What exactly do you mean? Who will be next?
A: That’s right, Cuba is next. What about Cuba? Cuba is a mess now. It’s a country on the verge of collapse, but soon it will be its turn. It is destined to fall, and then we will step in. We will help the great Cuban Americans who were expelled from Cuba, many of whose families suffered under Castro’s violence. Oh, Cuba will see change soon.
Q: Are you considering withdrawing the nomination of Casey Means as HHS secretary for someone else?
A: Well, I am considering many things. I’m not sure exactly where she is in the nomination process. My focus is more on Iran right now, but yes, the possibility exists.
We have many excellent candidates. She has also earned trust from Tulsi Gabbard.
Yes, of course. Keep asking.
I mean, her mindset is a bit different from mine, but that doesn’t mean she can’t do the job. Is she fully aligned with me?
I want to be very clear: I don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons, because if they did, they would use them immediately. I think she may be a bit softer on this issue, but that’s okay. Some people are like that, most are not.
Those people are now saying: ‘Thank you very much for all you’ve done.’ They are now completely defeated. They will give up nuclear weapons, along with nuclear waste and residues, fully following our wishes. And you know, they might even develop further and become a great nation again.
But if they don’t follow my guidance, they won’t even keep their country. They may cease to exist. So yes, she is softer on this issue. But I have others around me (hardliners), though not many. On this issue, we’ve had very strong public support.
Have you seen CNN’s poll? Trump and MAGA (I think MAGA represents most Republicans) have 100 percent support. The young man conducting the poll was honest—he said, “I’ve never seen 100 percent before.”
I just got 100 percent support in a CNN poll. Thank you all very much.
Q: About Cuba, there’s a report that the U.S. will allow a Russian oil tanker to go to Cuba. Is that true?
A: Oh, we have a tanker there. We don’t mind someone sending a ship of oil—they need to survive. That’s fine. As far as I know, the report is true.
I said, if a country wants to send oil to Cuba, I have no objection.
Q: Are you concerned that, whether or not Russia is behind this, it could ultimately help Vladimir Putin?
A: Does it help Putin? Why? He just loses one ship of oil. That’s all. No big deal.
If he wants to do it, or if other countries do, I don’t really care. It won’t matter much. Cuba is finished. They have a bad regime, very corrupt leadership. Whether they get a ship of oil or not doesn’t matter.
I’d rather let it in, whether Russia or anyone else, because the people need heating, cooling, and other necessities.
Q: Now regarding wartime trade actions, Iran’s control, and charging passage fees. What’s your view?
A: I need to confirm if this is true.
As you know, they can take any action they deem necessary. But we can completely block the area in two minutes. Our response would be unbelievably fast. The problem would be solved instantly.
Original article
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