Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening Tariffs On Nations Supplying Oil To Cuba
washington : US President Donald Trump increased economic pressure on the communist island nation on Thursday by signing an executive order to impose new tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.
According to the order issued by the White House, “An additional ad valorem (estimated value) duty may be imposed on imports of goods that are products of a foreign country that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides oil to Cuba.”
The directive, issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, calls the Cuban government an “extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and alleges that “the regime aligns with and provides support to numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malicious actors opposed to the United States, including Russia, China, and Iran, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Amid mounting pressure, Mexico has temporarily suspended oil shipments to Cuba as Trump seeks to further isolate Havana, Al Jazeera reported. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the move was not the result of U.S. pressure but a “sovereign decision.”
Addressing reporters, she said, “It is a sovereign decision, and it is made in the moment when necessary.” When asked whether the supplies would continue, he replied, “In any case, it will be reported,” while emphasizing that Mexico “will continue to show solidarity” with Cuba.
The suspension has significant consequences for Cuba’s energy security. Mexico and Venezuela provided most of Cuba’s oil, but Venezuelan crude was halted after former President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation and taken to the United States on January 3, according to Al Jazeera.
Until last month, Mexico accounted for 44 percent of Cuba’s oil imports, Venezuela 33 percent and Russia about 10 percent; smaller volumes came from Algeria. Mexico’s state oil company Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba between January and Sept. 30, 2025, making Mexico a critical but limited lifeline after Venezuela went offline.
Trump hardened his stance on Havana, writing on Truth Social on January 11: “NO MORE OIL OR MONEY WILL BE SENT TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly recommend they make a deal BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE,” adding: “Cuba has lived on huge amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela for many years.”
During his visit to Iowa, he said Cuba was “a nation that is really close to failure.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Washington’s pressure, saying: “We are always ready to continue serious and responsible dialogue with various US administrations, including the current administration, on the basis of the principles of sovereign equality, mutual respect and international law.”
As tensions rose, Al Jazeera reported that a Cuban diplomat in Bogota accused Washington of “international piracy” for its efforts to block Venezuelan oil shipments. “The United States is conducting international piracy in the Caribbean Sea, restricting and preventing oil from arriving in Cuba,” Carlos de Cespedes said, adding that Havana faces stronger US threats than at any point in the 67 years since the revolution.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the government in Havana as a “big problem”, while Trump publicly suggested that Rubio could one day lead Cuba, writing: “Sounds good!”
Relations between Havana and Washington remain deeply tense despite a brief thaw in 2014, which Trump reversed during his first term by reimposing sanctions and banning cruise ships in 2019. Al Jazeera reported that Cuba is facing its worst economic crisis since 1959 due to fuel shortages, power outages and disruptions in food and water supplies.
Conditions could worsen as Mexican and Venezuelan oil flows cease; Rising tensions with the United States have reduced tourism by almost 70 percent since 2018, reducing revenues that once reached $3 billion annually. Meanwhile, Mexico is negotiating a trade deal with Washington amid tariff threats as Trump steps up his demands on Mexico through drug cartels, further complicating Mexico’s efforts to balance its longstanding ties with Cuba against growing U.S. pressure.
