Quick Read
- U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
- The action follows the cessation of Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba, deepening the island’s energy crisis.
- Cuba’s government condemned the move as a “brutal act of aggression” threatening essential services.
- Mexico has temporarily halted oil shipments to Cuba, citing a “sovereign decision.”
- South Florida Republicans have expressed strong support for the tariffs, viewing them as crucial pressure on the Cuban regime.
WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening to impose substantial trade tariffs on any nation supplying oil to Cuba, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s long-standing economic pressure campaign against the Caribbean island. The move follows the cessation of crucial Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba, a development Trump described as a factor that would cause Cuba to “collapse under its own weight.”
The executive order, authorized under a declaration of a “national emergency,” did not immediately specify the exact tariff rates or name the countries that could be affected. However, the measure is designed to further stifle an already struggling Cuban economy, which has been grappling with a severe economic crisis exacerbated by a historic U.S. embargo and recent fuel shortages.
New U.S. Executive Order Targets Cuba Oil Suppliers
President Trump’s latest action comes amid his administration’s broader foreign policy approach, which has included military intervention in Venezuela in late 2025 that led to the overthrow of President Nicolás Maduro. Following Maduro’s ouster, Venezuela, a long-time ally, ceased sending an estimated 35,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba, a supply vital for the island’s energy needs. Trump had previously warned that Cuba would face dire consequences without this support, and his administration has accused Havana of hosting “dangerous adversaries of the United States.”
The U.S. President’s declaration of a national emergency provides the legal framework for these tariffs, which are intended to be “harmful to any economy that has interests in trade with the United States” if they continue to supply oil to Cuba, according to Atalayar. This tactic aims to cut off Cuba’s remaining avenues for acquiring essential fuel, further exacerbating the country’s energy crisis.
Havana Condemns ‘Brutal Act of Aggression’
The Cuban government has vehemently condemned the new U.S. initiative, labeling it a “brutal act of aggression.” Cuban state media reported that the executive order threatens to paralyze critical services, including electricity generation, agricultural production, water supply, and health services on the island. The Cuban Foreign Ministry, through Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, asserted the country’s “absolute right to import fuel” from any willing exporter “without interference or subordination to the unilateral coercive measures of the United States,” as reported by BBC.
Cuba has already been experiencing rolling blackouts and struggling with reliable electricity supplies since the Trump administration’s tactic of confiscating sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers began to worsen its fuel crisis. Havana has denounced the U.S. actions as an attempt to “subjugate, strip of their resources, mutilate the sovereignty and deprive of their independence the nations and peoples of our America.”
Regional Repercussions and U.S. Political Support
The executive order has already begun to exert pressure on third-party nations. Mexico, a potential oil supplier to Cuba, has been particularly highlighted. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated this week that her government had temporarily halted oil shipments to Cuba, though she maintained it was a “sovereign decision” not made under U.S. pressure, according to PBS.
In the United States, the move has been met with strong support from South Florida Republicans, particularly those representing the Cuban diaspora. U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican born in Cuba, posted his support using the hashtag #SOSCuba, stating, “Our Cuban American community is eternally grateful for his decisive action against the regime! The end is near!” U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican, also praised the order, declaring that “The complicity with the Cuban dictatorship is over” and that “All pressure is necessary to suffocate a criminal regime that only remains standing thanks to money, oil, and an international network of accomplices that sustains it,” as reported by Florida Politics.
Salazar further urged the exile community to “stop financing its own oppression,” emphasizing that “Every dollar that enters Cuba prolongs the life of the dictatorship and the suffering of the Cuban people.” This political backing underscores the domestic motivations behind the intensified pressure on Cuba.
Cuba’s Deepening Economic Crisis
The new tariffs threaten to compound Cuba’s already dire economic situation. With the discontinuation of Venezuelan oil, the island’s primary energy source, and the potential for tariffs to deter other suppliers, Cuba faces an even more acute fuel and electricity crisis. The Cuban state media’s warnings about the potential paralysis of essential services highlight the immediate humanitarian concerns that could arise from further economic strangulation. The long-standing U.S. embargo has already severely limited Cuba’s access to international markets and financial systems, making any additional sanctions particularly impactful.
The Trump administration’s latest executive action represents a significant shift in its strategy towards Cuba, moving beyond direct sanctions to target third countries. This approach aims to isolate the Cuban regime further by cutting off its remaining economic lifelines, particularly vital oil imports, at a time when the island is already grappling with profound economic instability and a severe energy crisis.