Pete Hegseth Warned Iran in Advance of Attacks; also Warned Cuba, as he Visited CENTCOM HQ, GTMO Naval Base
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan24) – On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth flew to CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, after visiting the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
The Pentagon announced Hegseth’s travel on Tuesday, with a terse statement, “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will be traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Tampa, Florida, tomorrow to engage with troops at GTMO and CENTCOM.”
However, events have proven far more dramatic than the brief announcement suggested, as the U.S. bombing of Iran resumed soon after Hegseth’s visit to CENTCOM.
Hegseth Warns Iran
While at CENTCOM, Hegseth participated, though a video link, in a White House meeting, led by President Donald Trump. Those participating included Vice President J. D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and Tump envoy, Steve Witkoff.
The meeting focused on options for dealing with Iran following the overnight tit-for tat strikes. After the meeting, Trump told reporters that the U.S. would "hit them again hard today.”
In Tampa, Florida, where CENTCOM is headquartered, Hegseth affirmed, “This building continues to plan, and so those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong. They will be clear. If they happen to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong, and they will be clear,”
The U.S. strikes began soon thereafter—in the early evening in Washington, after midnight in Tehran.
Hegseth Warns Cuba
Before arriving in Tampa, Hegseth visited the U.S. base at Guantanamo, or GTMO (pronounced “Gitmo”), as it is commonly referred to. It dates back to the U.S. victory in the 1898 Spanish-American war. With Cuban independence, the U.S. retained the base, as Washington struck a deal to pay Havana roughly $100,000 per year for use of the territory,
At Guantanamo, in addition to praising the U.S. Marines based there, Hegseth issued a warning ro Cuba that it should not try to obtain weapons capable of hitting the U.S., which is only 90 miles from the Caribbean island.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the George W. Bush administration used Guantanamo to house suspected terrorists.and hold military trials for them.
Perhaps, surprisingly, some 15 suspected terrorists from that time still remain at Guantanamo. They have yet to be tried, although they include the 9-11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who, in fact, is Baluch, rather than Arab, as is generally believed.
Read More: Saddam and the Baluch
Initially, Trump sought to use the Guantanamo facility to house immigration detainees. But that did not work out, and only 26 such individuals are held on the base.
The Trump administration has also put Cuba under a tight economic embargo in an effort to secure regime change in Havana.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba last month, and two weeks ago, the commander of SouthCom, whose area of responsibility includes Cuba, visited the country and met with a senior Cuban official.
However. there is no record of Hegseth meeting any Cuban officials—only U.S. troops.