A senior US delegation met with Cuban government officials in Cuba as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to pressure Havana into a deal as it continues to exert its economic chokehold on the island.

Axar.az informs the senior State Department delegation, which visited the island in recent weeks, stressed that time was running out for Havana “to make key US backed reforms before circumstances irreversibly worsen,” a US State Department official told CNN.

It was the first time a US government aircraft touched down in Cuba – other than at the US base in Guantanamo Bay – since 2016, when former President Barack Obama visited amid an effort to expand relations with Havana.

According to the State Department official, the US delegation stressed “Cuba’s need to make significant economic and governance reforms to enhance competitiveness, attract foreign investment, and allow private sector-led growth.”

They discussed a proposal to bring Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet to Cuba, as well as proposals to compensate US people and corporations “for confiscated assets and properties” – something that would likely be welcomed by the Cuban diaspora in the United States.

The official declined to provide details on the members of the delegation. They noted that one senior State Department official met separately with Raul Castro’s grandson during the visit.