The State Department announced a fresh round of sanctions against Cuba’s government on Wednesday, targeting the country’s ruling elite, its energy sector and the state-owned bank that helps keep the island’s economy afloat, the latest step in a monthslong Trump administration campaign aimed at squeezing the Cuban government toward collapse.
The designations name five entities and one individual, including Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, a grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, along with Banco Exterior de Cuba, the state bank used to process much of the country’s foreign transactions. Also sanctioned were two companies tied to Cuba’s nickel mining industry and two firms active in its energy sector, including an oil import company, all accused of helping fund the government’s internal security apparatus.
Part of a broader squeeze
The sanctions were issued under Executive Order 14404, the same authority the administration has used throughout the year to target officials and companies it says are responsible for repression on the island. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly called for a change in Cuban leadership, framing the sanctions as pressure toward that goal rather than punishment for any single incident.
Cuba has been dealing with a worsening energy crisis for much of 2026, with rolling blackouts that have hit hospitals and water treatment systems particularly hard. Critics of the sanctions campaign, including humanitarian groups, argue that tightening the financial noose further mostly hurts ordinary Cubans who have no say in government policy, since the country’s leadership has shown little sign of being forced toward reform by previous rounds of penalties.
The administration has signaled this will not be the last action. President Trump said last week he expects Cuba’s government to fall soon, language that suggests Washington views the current sanctions push as one part of a broader effort to hasten political change on the island rather than a finite list of penalties.
Sources: U.S. Department of State · Al Jazeera · NBC Miami
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