Cuba has strongly condemned a new round of US sanctions announced by US President Donald Trump, describing the measures as part of Washington's decades-long campaign of economic warfare aimed at undermining the island's sovereignty and imposing political change through coercion and collective punishment, the BBC reported.
The latest executive order, signed on Friday, expands US restrictions against officials and institutions linked to Cuba's energy, defense, financial, and security sectors. The move comes as the Caribbean nation continues to face severe economic pressures exacerbated by the US blockade and restrictions on fuel imports.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the measures as "illegal" and "abusive", arguing that they violate international law and deliberately target the Cuban people.
Writing on X, Rodriguez said the "unilateral coercive measures" violated the United Nations Charter, adding they aimed to impose "collective punishment against the Cuban people."
His remarks coincided with demonstrations held across Cuba, where thousands gathered to reject US pressure and defend the country's independence. Sharing footage from the rallies, Rodriguez described them as mobilizations "in defense of the Homeland" and declared: "Our people do not cower."
US economic siege
For Havana, the sanctions represent the latest chapter in a six-decade campaign designed to suffocate the Cuban economy and force political concessions through hardship. Cuban authorities have repeatedly accused Washington of attempting to create social instability by restricting access to fuel, financial resources, and international trade.
The impact of these measures has been felt across the country. Fuel shortages and recurring power outages have disrupted transportation networks, healthcare services, schools, and businesses, conditions Cuban officials attribute directly to US efforts to obstruct oil shipments and intimidate countries that maintain economic ties with the island.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the escalation, arguing that the blockade remains the principal obstacle to Cuba's development and prosperity.
"The blockade and its reinforcement cause so much harm because of the intimidating and arrogant behaviour of the world's greatest military power," Díaz-Canel wrote following the announcement.
Cuba defies US pressure
The new sanctions come despite previous indications that Havana remained open to dialogue with Washington. Cuban officials have maintained that relations between the two countries can only improve on the basis of mutual respect and recognition of Cuba's right to determine its own political future free from foreign interference.
In remarks delivered later in Florida, Trump openly signaled his desire to reshape Cuba's political system and made provocative comments about the possibility of the United States taking control of the island.
"On the way back from Iran, we'll have one of our big - maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier - the biggest in the world, we'll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We give up'."
Such statements are likely to reinforce Havana's longstanding argument that US policy toward Cuba has never been about democracy or human rights, but rather about imposing Washington's will on a nation that has resisted external domination since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
Despite decades of sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and attempts at isolation, Cuban leaders have vowed to continue defending the country's sovereignty and social achievements, insisting that economic coercion will not force the island to abandon its independent political path.
Source:Websites
