Trump Imposes New Sanctions on Cuba’s State Companies

The US imposes fresh sanctions on Cuban officials and state-run companies, escalating tensions under the Trump administration.

The US has imposed a new round of sanctions on Cuban officials and companies, as announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Nine state-owned mining, metal, and building firms, along with the Ministry of Construction and officials linked to a Cuban-based international institute, have been named in this latest tranche of economic sanctions.

Rubio accused these figures of “ferrying a new brigade of international sympathisers to Havana to network with regime officials,” coinciding with the centennial of late former leader Fidel Castro.

Cuba has condemned all sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, which are part of a broader strategy to exert pressure on the Caribbean island’s leadership.

In a statement, Rubio remarked that those targeted are integral to the regime’s mission of spreading “Marxism, racial resentment, and Communist violence across the world.” He emphasized, “Today’s designations make clear that the Trump administration will not tolerate the Cuban regime’s efforts to fund its repression or continue its decades-long campaign of subversive anti-American activities.”

The leadership of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) was specifically targeted in this sanctions round. Rubio accused ICAP of “misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft, and malfeasance.” Among those affected is the group’s president, Fernando Gonzalez Llort, who is a member of a spy ring known as the Cuban Five, part of a prisoner exchange during the Obama-era thaw in relations with Havana.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned Rubio’s announcement, asserting that it aims to “punish” Cuban companies and further “harm” the economy. Rodríguez stated it would hinder the government’s ability to “guarantee basic services to the population, which are already in a critical situation due to the blockade.”

High-ranking Cuban figures across various sectors, including energy, finance, and defense, are already under US sanctions. These measures and an effective oil blockade have exacerbated already existing shortages of fuel, medicines, and food in Cuba.

With the island’s aging electricity infrastructure heavily reliant on fuel imports, hospitals have been forced to use emergency generators while citizens face frequent blackouts, sparking rare protests. The Trump administration has also targeted Cuba’s tourism sector, a vital source of income for the beleaguered government, which has resulted in a significant drop in visitor numbers.