US President Donald Trump signed an executive order broadening US sanctions against the Cuban government on Friday. The new measures target individuals, entities, and affiliates supporting the Cuban security apparatus or those involved in corruption or serious human rights violations.
The order also applies to foreign persons operating in sectors like energy, defense, financial services, and the security sector of the Cuban economy. It authorizes secondary sanctions for transactions with targeted individuals under the order.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the new measures reinforce the US blockade against Cuba, which he called “brutal” and “genocidal.” The foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, stated that these sanctions aim to impose collective punishment on the Cuban people but will not be intimidated.
The move is significant for non-American companies, according to Jeremy Paner, a former sanctions investigator at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. It affects oil and gas, mining companies, banks, and those with segregated Cuba operations from the United States.
The new sanctions are part of the Trump administration’s broader pressure on Cuba, which has been declared near collapse by the president. The US has also demanded that Cuba open its state-run economy, pay reparations for expropriated properties, and hold free and fair elections, but Cuba has refused to negotiate its socialist government.
Earlier this year, the US halted Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba after ousting Maduro on January 3. Trump later threatened punishing tariffs if other countries sent crude oil to Cuba, prompting Mexico to stop shipments. The resulting fuel shortage has led to major blackouts and prompted foreign airlines to suspend flights to the island.