The government of Cuba has accused the United States of intensifying economic warfare against the island following a new executive order and additional sanctions that Havana says could deepen an already severe humanitarian and economic crisis.
In a strongly worded statement issued Thursday in Havana, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the May 1, 2026 Executive Order signed by the White House, describing it as one of the harshest measures imposed on the communist nation in decades.
The Cuban government also denounced a subsequent decision by the United States Treasury Department on May 7 to place conglomerate Gaesa and mining company MoaNickel S.A. on the List of Specially Designated Nationals, effectively cutting them off from the American financial system and exposing foreign firms dealing with them to potential secondary sanctions.
Havana described the move as a “ruthless act of economic aggression” aimed at tightening the long-standing US blockade against Cuba and further isolating the country from global trade and financial networks.
According to Cuban authorities, the latest sanctions threaten to worsen economic hardship at a time when the country is already struggling with chronic shortages of fuel, food, medicine and foreign exchange.
The Foreign Ministry argued that the measures extend beyond bilateral tensions between Washington and Havana by targeting foreign companies, financial institutions and governments maintaining economic relations with Cuba.
“The sovereign right of all states that have or wish to maintain economic, commercial and financial relations with Cuba is being explicitly attacked,” the statement said.
Cuba also accused senior US officials, particularly the Secretary of State, of using political pressure and intimidation to compel the international community to comply with Washington’s blockade policy.
The statement further alleged that the new sanctions were designed to trigger economic collapse and social unrest within the island nation, warning that escalating economic pressure could create conditions for instability and potentially justify more aggressive actions against Cuba.
The latest dispute marks another downturn in relations between the two Cold War-era rivals whose diplomatic ties have fluctuated between cautious engagement and open hostility over the past six decades.
The United States first imposed trade restrictions on Cuba in the early 1960s following the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro and the subsequent nationalisation of American-owned assets on the island. Relations deteriorated further after Cuba aligned with the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
In 1962, Washington formalised a broad economic embargo against Cuba, arguing that the measures were necessary to pressure Havana toward democratic reforms and improved human rights conditions.
Over the decades, the sanctions regime evolved into one of the world’s longest-running economic embargoes, affecting trade, banking, investment and travel.
Although relations improved during the administration of former US President Barack Obama — including the restoration of diplomatic ties and the easing of some restrictions — many of those measures were later reversed or expanded under subsequent administrations.
In recent years, Cuba has faced mounting economic difficulties driven by declining tourism revenues, inflation, fuel shortages and limited access to international credit markets.
While Havana consistently blames the US embargo for worsening living conditions on the island, Washington maintains that Cuba’s centrally controlled political and economic system remains the primary cause of the country’s economic struggles.
The renewed sanctions are expected to intensify international debate over the decades-long embargo, which many countries and global organisations have repeatedly criticised.
For more than 30 consecutive years, the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted resolutions urging the United States to end its economic blockade against Cuba, describing the sanctions as harmful to ordinary citizens and contrary to international law.
Despite mounting international pressure, both governments remain firmly entrenched in their positions, raising concerns that tensions between Havana and Washington could continue to escalate in the months ahead.
