Cuba Denounces US Sanctions as "Illegal", Trump Threatens Naval Takeover From Florida
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has labelled a new round of US sanctions "illegal and abusive", asserting they constitute "collective punishment against the Cuban people". The executive order, signed by US President Donald Trump on Friday, targets individuals within Cuba's energy, defence, financial, and security sectors, alongside those accused of "human rights abuses" or corruption.
The announcement coincided with International Workers' Day protests outside the US Embassy in Havana, where demonstrators denounced a US oil blockade that has precipitated widespread blackouts and severe fuel shortages across the island. This blockade has notably impacted essential services, including hospitals and public transport.
Trump's Bellicose Rhetoric and Economic Coercion
Speaking in Florida late on Friday, Mr Trump declared the US would be "taking over" Cuba "almost immediately". He elaborated, "On the way back from Iran, we'll have one of our big — maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier — the biggest in the world, we'll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We give up'."
Mr Rodriguez, writing on X, stated that these "unilateral coercive measures" contravene the United Nations Charter. He shared videos of street demonstrations, describing them as "in defence of the Homeland", adding, "Our people do not cower."
These intensified US efforts to pressure Cuba's economy persist despite Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel's confirmation in March that negotiations were underway between Havana and Washington. Mr Díaz-Canel also commented on X that "the blockade and its reinforcement cause so much harm because of the intimidating and arrogant behaviour of the world's greatest military power."
The US has maintained economic and trade embargoes on Cuba since 1960, following Fidel Castro's overthrow of a US-backed government in 1959. Only a single Russian oil tanker has reached Cuba since the latest US blockade on oil was imposed. Mr Trump has also threatened tariffs on goods imported into the US from any nation providing oil to the Caribbean island, which lies just 145km (90 miles) from Florida.
