WASHINGTON — Jeb Bush commended his former rival, President Trump, for debilitating Iran and diminishing its ability to stoke mayhem in the region, but warned that the regime may have made Cuba more of a threat to the US.
Speaking at a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) event, the Bush scion underscored the threat posed by Tehran’s Shahed drones, some of which had been sent to Cuba before the war in Iran began.
“I also want to applaud President Trump’s efforts,” Bush, who chairs UANI, said. “We have decimated Iran’s capability to make mischief in the region. There’s no doubt about it.”
“Their military has not been decapitated completely, but 80% of its capabilities in terms of building these devices and building other missiles, and their navy has been wiped out, and I applaud the Trump administration for the work that they’ve done,” he added.
Shahed drones gave the US headaches in the Middle East during the war in Iran because they are somewhat cheap to make, but are used for potent attacks.
Iran had supplied those types of drones to Russia during the bloody war in Ukraine, which has since developed strong countermeasures.
Bush acknowledged that the US has “very good defense capabilities” to counter Iranian drones, but cautioned that when they attack in clusters, they can penetrate sophisticated defense systems.
“I also want to point out that the press reports are that there are 300 of these in Cuba,” Bush stressed about the Shahed drones.
Those drones are believed to have been sent to Cuba before the war in Iran earlier this year, Fox News reported.
Trump imposed an oil blockade on Cuba earlier this year, sparking an energy crisis within the island nation. Since then, Cuba has liberalized its communist economy by privatizing state-run companies and opened up the banking and energy sector to foreign investment.
The regime has also been hit with protests and internal turmoil over the energy crisis. On Monday, for example, Cuba endured a nationwide power blackout, its third major one of the year.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel vowed “impregnable resistance” against the US as Trump carries out his “maximum pressure” campaign.
Trump has demanded that Cuba “make a deal before it’s too late” and has sought deep reforms.
Other Floridians, including Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), joined Bush in the UANI event to similarly underscore the threat of Iranian drones.
“This is the face of warfare,” Gimenez emphasized, noting how artificial intelligence is enhancing the threat. “This is how war is going to be carried out in the future, and it’s being carried out right now.”
The Department of War has placed an emphasis on boosting American drone manufacturing capabilities. Trump recently suggested he was open to cutting a drone deal with Ukraine.
