U.S. President Donald Trump said a U.S. takeover of Cuba could be friendly or not, Reuters reported on March 9. March 9 also marked the third consecutive day of small-scale pot banging demonstrations in Havana.

Trump first mentioned the possibility of a U.S. takeover of Cuba on Feb. 27, when he stated that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dealing with the issue at a "very high level." In addition to the decades-long economic embargo, the Trump administration has imposed an oil blockade on Cuba, exacerbating an energy crisis and disrupting basic services. The situation further deteriorated after the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3 and Trump's threats to impose tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba, which has led Mexico to suspend crude supply. The island's power grid relies on thermoelectric plants, and Cuba only produces 40% of the oil it needs.