US pummels Cuban economy with new sanctions on mining, construction

What the report says

The United States has imposed a new set of sanctions on Cuba, this time aimed at nine state-owned mining, metal and construction companies, along with three officials from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). According to an Al Jazeera report published on 20 August 2026, the US Treasury Department listed Cuba’s Ministry of Construction and entities tied to mineral extraction and trade, including GEOMINSAL, which operates in a country known for cobalt and nickel reserves.

The Trump administration, in a statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, described the targeted companies and individuals as linked to Cuba’s national security threat and said they helped sustain what Washington sees as the island’s repressive system. Rubio also accused ICAP of organizing international support networks for the Cuban government. The article says the new measures build on a broader US “maximum pressure” campaign against Havana.

Al Jazeera reported that the sanctions come amid an already fragile Cuban economy, with the effects of earlier US restrictions contributing to blackouts and shortages of basic goods, including medicine. The piece says the administration has also moved to restrict fuel supplies to the island since January, while warning other countries against exporting fuel to Cuba. The government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel has faced mounting economic stress as a result.

The article adds broader context from UN officials, who have warned that the combined restrictions could worsen humanitarian conditions. Cuba and the United States have long had strained relations, and the latest sanctions further escalate pressure on the socialist government as Washington seeks to isolate it politically and economically.