US Hits Cuba with New Sanctions as Island’s Multiple Crises Deepen

Washington intensifies economic pressure on Havana

HAVANA — The United States on Thursday announced a new round of sanctions against Cuba, sharpening an already aggressive campaign to throttle the island’s economy as it reels from overlapping emergencies. The move, confirmed by officials in Washington, is the latest sign of a hardening U.S. posture and comes at a moment when ordinary Cubans face crippling blackouts, fuel shortages, and spiraling inflation.

The new measures, described by the U.S. government as part of a broader effort to “strangle the island’s economy,” reportedly expand existing restrictions on financial transactions, remittances, and key industries such as tourism and nickel production. While the full scope of the sanctions was not immediately detailed, they build on the financial sanctions framework that Washington has steadily tightened in recent years.

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly condemned the action, calling it “an act of economic warfare” and accusing the United States of trying to break the will of the Cuban people. “These coercive measures violate international law and the most basic human rights of Cubans,” the ministry said in a statement, insisting the sanctions would only deepen suffering without achieving any political objective.

A compounding crisis

The sanctions land as Cuba grapples with its worst economic crisis since the 1990s “Special Period.” A collapse in tourism revenue, the pandemic’s lingering disruption, and U.S. restrictions on trade and investment have hammered the state-run economy. Daily life has become a grind of long queues for bread, medicines, and petrol, while hours-long power outages have become routine even in the capital.

Analysts say the new sanctions will likely compound these hardships by further isolating Cuba from global financial systems. “This is a significant escalation,” said a Washington-based Latin America expert who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “By squeezing the few remaining dollar-earning sectors, you are effectively cutting off the oxygen to an already suffocating economy.”

The U.S. has long argued that pressure is needed to force democratic reforms and that sanctions target the regime, not the people. But critics, including some U.S. lawmakers and humanitarian groups, say the restrictions overwhelmingly hurt ordinary Cubans and fuel outward migration.

Diplomatic ripple effects

Thursday’s announcement also signals a more confrontational stance from Washington, following a period in which the Biden administration had modestly eased some Trump-era measures, such as caps on family remittances. The reversal suggests that hopes for a broader diplomatic thaw have dimmed.

Cuba has repeatedly linked its economic woes to the six-decades-old U.S. embargo, which was tightened significantly under former President Donald Trump and has since been kept largely intact. President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s government has vowed to resist any external pressure and has sought support from allies such as Russia, China, and Venezuela.

At the United Nations, the U.S. embargo has long been a flashpoint. The General Assembly votes annually — with near-unanimous support — to condemn the embargo, though the resolutions are non-binding. The new sanctions are likely to sharpen that debate and provide ammunition for those who accuse Washington of collective punishment.

What comes next

The Cuban government has not indicated whether it will retaliate, but officials have previously responded to similar measures by tightening state control over the fledgling private sector or restricting travel. Economic experts on the island warn that without a rapid injection of foreign currency, shortages will worsen in the coming months, potentially triggering a new wave of social unrest like the rare protests seen in 2021.

For now, the streets of Havana are quiet but tense. Residents, accustomed to hardship, say they are braced for yet another round of belt-tightening. “We have lived through sanctions, embargoes, and crises all our lives,” said a retired schoolteacher in the Vedado district. “The question is not if things will get worse, but how much worse they can get.”

The international community is watching closely. The European Union and several Latin American nations have criticized the U.S. embargo in recent months, and the new sanctions are likely to strain diplomatic ties further. For ordinary Cubans, however, the immediate calculus is simpler: finding a way to get through another day.