US sanctions more Cuban companies and officials

What the report says

The United States has imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Cuban officials and state-linked companies, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The latest measures, announced by the Trump administration, target nine state-owned mining, metal and construction firms, Cuba’s Ministry of Construction, and leaders connected to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, known as ICAP.

BBC World News reports that Rubio accused the targeted figures of supporting what he described as the Cuban government’s efforts to spread anti-American and communist influence abroad. ICAP, founded in 1960 under Fidel Castro, has long served as a vehicle for Cuba to build relationships with overseas activist groups and sympathetic organisations. Among those named is ICAP president Fernando Gonzalez Llort, who was previously part of the Cuban 5 and later returned to Cuba after a prisoner exchange during the Obama-era thaw.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected the move, saying on X that Washington was trying to punish Cuban businesses and worsen the economy. He argued the sanctions would further undermine the government’s ability to provide basic services.

The new restrictions come as Cuba faces deep economic strain, including shortages of fuel and repeated power cuts. The BBC notes that the island’s aging electricity system is heavily dependent on imported fuel, and that prolonged blackouts have contributed to rare public protests.