US targets 11 Cuban officials with new sanctions
The US government imposed sanctions on 11 Cuban officials, including the country’s communications minister and several military leaders, and its main intelligence agency, as the Trump administration increased pressure on the island’s communist leaders.
The appointments are part of a broader campaign against Cuba that includes efforts to block most oil shipments from Venezuela following a U.S. raid in January to capture the Cuban leader.
The administration has described Cuba’s current communist-run government as corrupt and incompetent and is pushing for a regime change.
President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on the island by threatening sanctions on countries that supply it with fuel, sparking power outages and effectively imposing a blockade, dealing a blow to its economy.
“For more than 60 years, the Cuban regime has prioritized its Communist ideology and personal wealth over the well-being of its own citizens while allowing Cuba to be used for foreign intelligence, military and terrorist operations,” the State Department said in a statement Monday. he said.
“The United States will continue to take action against the Cuban regime, those who advance its goals, and those who enable elites abroad to profit while the Cuban people suffer.”
The sanctions follow the initial sanctions announced in early May.
Trump signed an executive order on May 1 that provides broad authority to designate parties in key economic sectors of Cuba and authorizes secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions doing business with sanctioned parties.
The Trump administration plans to unveil criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday, a Justice Department official said last week.
The State Department said additional sanctions are expected in the coming days and weeks.
