WASHINGTON, August 13. /TASS/. The Washington administration is currently considering all options for further steps regarding Cuba, including military action, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told journalists in Panama.

"All options are on the table, to include military options," he said, answering a question about the possibility of US military action against the Caribbean republic. "I think Cuba would be wise to pay attention to the willingness of [US] President [Donald] Trump to assert American strategic prerogatives." Hegseth also noted that the United States has "a lot of options" for further actions regarding Cuba.

On March 5, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington intends to develop a further course of action regarding Cuba after concluding the operation against Iran. On February 27, the White House stated that the US could take control of Cuba. On May 18, Politico reported that the US government is increasingly leaning toward the use of military force against Cuba. In a June interview with Axios, the US leader raised the possibility of conducting a regime-change operation in Cuba.