Cuba hit with nationwide blackout as US pressure continues
Cuba experienced a nationwide power outage on Monday as it faces an ongoing crisis. energy crisisIt was made worse by the effective US blockade of fuel shipments.
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy said the national power grid had completely collapsed. The country’s grid operator said it was investigating the cause of the incident.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said authorities were working to restore energy and had already activated emergency “microsystems” that power vital services.
Cuba has experienced several nationwide power outages in the past few years as the country’s aging electrical infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand.
The country’s energy crisis worsened this year after the United States forced Cuba’s main suppliers to halt oil shipments. In March, at least two Complete power outage within a week.
On Monday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized the United States for blocking fuel imports from X and claimed Washington was trying to create a “social explosion through strangulation.”
There is an energy crisis on the island Mandatory basic servicesincluding education, transportation and medicine. New US sanctions have also further deteriorated the Cuban economy and prevented many tourists from visiting the island.
The United States says the aim of the economic pressure is to force the Cuban government to open the island’s hermetic political system and allow direct foreign investment.
High-voltage power cables in Havana, Cuba, March 5, 2026. – Norlys Perez/Reuters/File
Last month, Cuba’s National Assembly approved a broad set of reforms aimed at opening up its economy. foreign trade minister he told CNN that the measures were not passed in response to external pressure.
A US State Department spokesman described the reforms as “modest, long overdue and ultimately superficial smoke signals” from the government.
US and Cuban officials have held numerous meetings over the past few weeks. In May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuba’s spy chiefs in Havana, and the commander of the U.S. Southern Command met with senior Cubans. military officials Around the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station.
There is USA accused Cuban officials host Russian and Chinese listening posts on the island, obstructing US interests in the region. Cuba denies the allegations and pushes back against the United States.
When CNN asked Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga about the humanitarian crisis on the island, he accused the United States of collective punishment and said: “What is happening against our people today is a genocide.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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