The United States has intensified its economic pressure campaign against Cuba by imposing fresh sanctions on the country’s Ministry of Tourism and nine additional state-linked entities, further tightening restrictions on Havana’s key revenue-generating sectors.
The latest measures, announced by the U.S. State Department, place 10 Cuban entities under sanctions, extending restrictions to organisations involved in tourism, fuel imports, exports and foreign trade. Among those affected are ENETEC S.A., Coreydan S.A. and the Foreign Trade Business Group (GECOMEX), all of which play significant roles in Cuba’s commercial and energy sectors.
The sanctions, imposed under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, mark another step in the administration’s efforts to increase economic pressure on the Cuban government. The inclusion of the Ministry of Tourism underscores Washington’s focus on limiting one of Cuba’s most important sources of foreign exchange.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would continue using economic and diplomatic measures to hold the Cuban government accountable, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to maintaining pressure on Havana.
The Cuban government strongly condemned the latest sanctions, describing them as an attempt to deepen the country’s economic crisis and reinforce what it calls the longstanding U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade that has been in place for more than six decades.
Havana argued that the new restrictions are designed to discourage foreign companies and investors from engaging with Cuban state institutions, particularly those operating in strategic sectors such as tourism and energy.
The sanctions come as Cuba battles one of its worst economic crises in decades, marked by chronic shortages of fuel, electricity, food and medicines, soaring inflation and increasing outward migration. Cuban authorities continue to blame the U.S. embargo for exacerbating the country’s economic difficulties, while Washington maintains that Cuba’s centrally planned economy and government policies are the principal causes of the crisis.
The latest action also follows renewed international criticism of the U.S. embargo. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an end to the embargo, with 136 member states voting in favour, nine—including the United States and Israel—voting against and 30 abstaining.
Although the annual resolutions are not legally binding, they have consistently highlighted broad international opposition to the embargo and underscored Washington’s diplomatic isolation on the issue.
Relations between the two countries have remained strained since the United States imposed sweeping sanctions after the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. While the Obama administration eased some restrictions, ties deteriorated during President Trump’s first term as sanctions were reinstated and expanded to curb Cuba’s access to foreign currency and international financing.
Many of those restrictions remained in place under the Biden administration, while Trump’s return to office has been accompanied by a renewed push to tighten economic measures against Havana.
Cuban officials warned that the expanded sanctions would place additional strain on the country’s fragile economy, increase hardship for ordinary citizens and further hamper efforts to attract foreign investment and revive the tourism sector, one of Cuba’s principal sources of national revenue. Washington, however, insists that its sanctions are directed at the Cuban government and state-controlled entities rather than the Cuban people.
