US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening to impose additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to communist-ruled Cuba. The order invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and calls the Cuban government an “extreme threat” to US national security.
Cuba, which has been largely under a US embargo since 1962, has until now received most of its oil from Venezuela.
Since the ouster of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has taken control of the country’s oil sector and vowed to freeze oil supplies to Cuba.
“With a false and unjustified pretext (..) President Trump wants to stifle the Cuban economy by imposing tariffs on countries that sovereignly trade oil with Cuba,” Diaz-Canel said on the “X” platform.
Cuba has experienced severe fuel shortages in recent years, affecting its power grid and exposing residents to widespread power outages.
Another Latin American country, Mexico, continues to supply oil to Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum this week denied reports that she had cut off oil supplies to Cuba.
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