US Slaps New Sanctions on Cuban Companies and Officials
The United States has announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting nine state-owned Cuban companies, the Ministry of Construction, and several officials linked to a Cuban institute that fosters international ties. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures aim to counter what he called Cuba's efforts to export Marxism and subvert American interests.
The sanctions, announced on Wednesday, name firms in the mining, metal and building sectors. Also targeted are leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), an organisation founded in 1960 by Fidel Castro that hosts foreign activists and promotes solidarity with Cuba. Among those designated is ICAP's president, Fernando Gonzalez Llort, a former intelligence officer who was part of the group known as the Cuban Five, released in a 2014 prisoner exchange with the US.
Rubio accused the sanctioned individuals of "ferrying a new brigade of international sympathizers to Havana to network with regime officials" ahead of what would have been Castro's 100th birthday. He described the ICAP's activities as "misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft and malfeasance."
Cuba has rejected the sanctions as unjust. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote on X that the US was trying to "punish" Cuban companies and "harm" the economy. He added that the measures would prevent the government from "guaranteeing basic services to the population, which are already in a critical situation as a result of the blockade."
The latest action builds on long-standing US sanctions against Cuba, in place since the early 1960s. Over the past year, Washington has tightened an oil blockade, severely limiting fuel imports to the island. Cuba's aging power grid relies heavily on imported fuel, and hospitals have been forced to use emergency generators due to rolling blackouts.
Widespread power cuts have triggered rare public protests in Cuba, where dissent is typically met with harsh penalties. The Cuban government has blamed the US embargo for the economic hardship, while Washington insists its pressure is aimed at promoting democratic change on the island.
The new sanctions come as the Trump administration continues to take a hard line on Cuba, reversing the more conciliatory approach of the Obama era. No immediate response from the European Union or other international bodies has been reported.
