The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Cuba, targeting a member of the Castro family and several state-owned entities linked to the island nation's financial, mining and energy sectors. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the Cuban communist regime continues to pose a deep, multifaceted threat to US national security and stability in the Western Hemisphere.
According to a statement from the US Department of State, five entities and one individual were designated under President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14404, which authorises sanctions against those deemed responsible for repression in Cuba and threats to US national security and foreign policy.
Among those targeted is Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, a grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. His father, Alejandro Castro Espín, and brother, Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, were previously sanctioned in June.
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The latest measures also target Banco Exterior de Cuba, a state-owned bank involved in corporate banking, foreign-trade finance and international transactions.
Four other Cuban entities linked to the country's natural resources and energy sectors have also been sanctioned. These include Empresa de Servicios Comandante Rene Ramos Latour (Nicarotec) and Empresa Importadora y Abastecedora del Níquel (Cexni), which are associated with Cuba's nickel and cobalt industries.
The US has also designated Abapet, a procurement subsidiary of state oil company Cupet, and Comercial Cupet S.A., which represents Cupet in negotiations and joint ventures with foreign companies.
Rubio said the measures were aimed at restricting the Cuban regime's access to financial resources and its ability to exploit the country's natural resources.
“These designations reflect President Trump's unwavering vision for a free Cuba,” Rubio said, arguing that Cuba's financial networks and entrenched Castro-era power structures should be dismantled.
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Under the sanctions, property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals and entities that are in the US or under the control of US persons will be blocked. US persons are also barred from conducting transactions involving the sanctioned parties unless authorised by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The State Department also warned that foreign individuals and companies conducting certain transactions with sanctioned Cuban entities could themselves face US sanctions.
The department said the broader objective of sanctions is to bring about a change in behaviour, rather than simply punish those targeted.
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