US sanctions more Cuban companies and officials

The United States has recently imposed additional sanctions on Cuban officials and companies, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The latest round of economic sanctions targets nine state-owned mining, metal, and building firms, the Ministry of Construction, and individuals linked to a Cuban-based international institute.

Rubio accused these figures of "ferrying a new brigade of international sympathizers to Havana" to connect with regime officials ahead of the late former leader Fidel Castro's 100th birthday. Cuba has denounced all sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. The targeted individuals are seen as part of the regime's "raison d'être" of exporting Marxism, racial resentment, and Communist violence globally.

The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), founded by Castro in 1960, has been singled out in this latest sanctions round. The ICAP, traditionally used by the Cuban government to forge ties with like-minded organizations worldwide, is accused by Rubio of misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft, and malfeasance.

Among those targeted is Fernando Gonzalez Llort, the ICAP president and a member of the Cuban 5, a prisoner exchange group during the Obama-era thaw with Havana. Cuban officials across the energy, financial, and defense sectors are already subject to US sanctions, while the country's tourism industry, a crucial income source for the government, has suffered a significant decline.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the sanctions, stating that they aim to "punish" Cuban companies and worsen the already critical economic situation. The US has maintained an effective oil blockade on Cuba since the beginning of the year, impacting hospitals that rely on fuel imports for emergency generators. This has led to frequent power cuts, triggering rare protests in Cuba, where dissent is typically met with lengthy prison sentences.