Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Friday (local time) condemned the recently announced US sanctions against Havana as “illegal and insulting”.
In an interview with X, Rodriguez wrote: “We categorically reject the recent unilateral coercive measures taken by the United States government. These actions demonstrate the intent to re-impose collective punishment on the Cuban people. It is no coincidence that these measures were announced on May 1, the very day millions of Cubans took to the streets to denounce the US blockade and energy blockade.”
He went on to say, “While the US government oppresses its own people in the streets, it seeks to punish those of ours who are heroically resisting the attacks of US imperialism. These measures are extraterritorial in nature and violate the United Nations Charter. The US has no right to impose measures against Cuba or against third countries or entities.”
He also shared videos of Cubans protesting the newly announced US sanctions and wrote: “In the face of the new US government executive order with more unilateral enforcement measures against Cuba, our people will not cower.”
Trump has imposed new sanctions on Cuba
US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order targeting officials in the energy, defense, financial or security sectors of the Cuban economy, along with those he says have committed “human rights abuses” or corruption, Reuters reported, citing White House officials.
While it remains unclear which individuals or entities would be affected by the new restrictions, the White House statement said without evidence that the Caribbean island serves as a “safe haven for transnational terrorist groups” such as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
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The decision to impose sanctions on Havana appears to be an attempt by Washington to increase pressure on Havana after the US military kidnapped former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January this year, with Trump warning that “Cuba is next”.
Earlier this year, the US president issued an executive order declaring a national emergency to deal with what the White House described as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” posed by the Cuban government.
Trump tightens foreign policy toward Cuba
Trump continues to toughen US foreign policy toward the island nation and has indicated he wants to change its communist government. Late Friday, he told an audience in Florida that Washington would “take over” the Caribbean island, located 145 km (90 miles) from Florida, “almost immediately.”
Read also | A Russian tanker has arrived in Cuba months after Donald Trump cut off fuel supplies
He added: “On the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big ones – maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln – the biggest aircraft carrier in the world, let it come in, stop about 100 yards off the coast and they’ll say, ‘Thank you very much. We surrender’.”
Negotiations between the US and Cuba
The US president’s latest moves to increase pressure on Havana’s economy come despite Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirming in March that Cuba was in talks with the US about relations between the two countries.
After announcing the new measures, Diaz-Canel wrote in a post on X: “The blockade and its strengthening are causing so much damage because of the intimidating and arrogant behavior of the world’s largest military power.”
Read also | ‘Our military is ready’: Cuba’s stark warning to the Trump administration
Following Maduro’s capture, Trump announced a US oil embargo on Cuba, a decision that has led to severe fuel shortages and widespread power outages in the island nation, affecting hospital wards, public transport and education. Only one Russian oil tanker has entered the country since the blockade was imposed.
Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on goods imported into the US from any country that supplies the Caribbean nation with oil.
Washington and Havana have had strained relations since revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed government in 1959. A US economic and trade embargo has been in place on Cuba since 1960.
Key things
- Sanctions imposed by the US on Cuba are seen as a continuation of a long-standing economic embargo.
- The Cuban government is actively resisting US pressure and mobilizing public support against sanctions.
- US foreign policy toward Cuba is escalating, which may lead to further tensions in the region.
