US Tightens Grip on Cuba: New Sanctions Target Companies, Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today a fresh tranche of sanctions that name nine Cuban state‑owned mining, metal and construction firms, the Ministry of Construction and officials linked to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). The U.S. administration says these entities are part of a network that “ferrying a new brigade of international sympathizers to Havana to network with regime officials” coinciding with Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday.

Rubio’s Statement
"Today's designations make clear that the Trump Administration will not tolerate the Cuban regime's efforts to fund its repression or continue its decades‑long campaign of subversive anti‑American activities," Rubio said.

The ICAP, founded by Castro in 1960, has long served to engage pro‑Cuban groups around the world. Rubio alleges the institute misleads and corrupts Americans with outright falsehoods, spy tradecraft, and malfeasance.

The sanctions also target the ICAP’s president, Fernando Gonzalez Llort, a figure involved in the former “Cuban 5” spy ring that was part of a prisoner exchange during the Obama‑era thaw.

Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the move, accusing the U.S. of trying to “punish” the island’s businesses and “harm” its economy. He warned the sanctions would prevent the government from guaranteeing basic services, already in jeopardy due to the ongoing fuel blockade.

U.S. sanctions come amid a year‑long oil embargo that has left the Cuban electricity grid—relying heavily on imported fuel—facing frequent power shortages. Hospitals have resorted to emergency generators, and the situation has triggered rare protests in a country where dissent is usually met with harsh reprisals.