The White House labels Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” tightening the blockade and regional pressure.
The White House labels Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” tightening the blockade and regional pressure.
By Gabriel Vera Lopes, from Havana / Cuba
President Trump signed an executive order this Thursday (29) declaring a “national emergency,” arguing that Cuba represents an alleged “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the security of the United States.
The measure imposes new tariffs on countries that “sell or otherwise supply oil to Cuba,” with the aim of deepening the energy strangulation suffered by the island, seriously aggravated after the United States’ attack on Venezuela.
“The order imposes a new tariff system that allows the United States to apply additional tariffs to imports from any country that provides oil to Cuba, directly or indirectly,” the document states.
The document does not automatically set tariffs, but rather enables a case-by-case evaluation process. For its implementation, it empowers Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to determine whether a country sells or supplies oil to Cuba, either directly or through intermediaries.
Subsequently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is authorized to “take all necessary actions,” including issuing new regulations to apply coercive measures to countries that send oil to the island, although the Executive reserves the ability to modify or cancel the measures if Cuba or the affected countries “take significant steps” to align themselves with “the security and foreign policy objectives of the United States.”
Washington accuses Havana of “aligning itself” with countries and “malignant actors adverse to the United States”, among which it mentions the People’s Republic of China, Iran and Russia, which it also accuses of maintaining in Cuba “the largest signals intelligence facility” outside its territory.
Furthermore, it accuses Cuba of continuing to “spread its communist ideas, policies and practices throughout the Western Hemisphere, which threatens the foreign policy of the United States.”
The War Against Cuba
Since the US bombing of Caracas, in which President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were kidnapped, Washington’s threats against Cuba have become constant.
The new executive order seeks to deepen the blockade—which the Cuban people have suffered for more than 60 years—by pressuring countries in the region to de facto join this aggressive policy. Likewise, the new coercive measures attempt to obstruct any oil triangulation that seeks to circumvent the blockade.
Cuba currently consumes around 120,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). Approximately 30% of this volume comes from domestic production, while the remaining two-thirds are imported. The island’s main suppliers are Venezuela, Mexico, and, to a lesser extent, Russia.
Last year, Caracas is estimated to have shipped between 27,000 and 35,000 barrels per day, representing about 29% of Cuba’s energy consumption. However, due to the military blockade and Washington’s restrictions on Venezuelan oil, these shipments have been interrupted. The new executive order now appears to be targeting Mexican supplies directly.
Faced with increasing pressure from the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum recently stated that sending oil to Cuba is “a sovereign decision” of Mexico, recalling that all Mexican governments—regardless of their ideology—have maintained relations with the island, respecting the principles of non-interference and self-determination in its foreign policy.
Just a week earlier, during her weekly press conference on Wednesday the 21st, Sheinbaum had emphasized the impact of the blockade: “What does an economic blockade mean? It means sanctions against countries that offer support. The United States has intensified it. When there is a blockade, it is not possible to import or export freely, so the conditions for a country’s development become extremely difficult.”
According to Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), during the first nine months of 2025, Mexico exported 17,200 barrels of oil per day to Cuba. This figure decreased in the last quarter due to pressure from Washington.
By declaring a “national emergency,” the executive order signed by Trump allows the government to impose additional tariffs even on partners with free trade agreements, such as Mexico, which is part of the USMCA with the United States and Canada.
Given that between 80% and 84% of Mexican exports are destined for its northern neighbor, this is a particularly sensitive measure. At the same time, this situation could put upward pressure on inflation in the United States, particularly in sectors with highly integrated supply chains.
Furthermore, by including as a target of sanctions anyone who supplies oil to Cuba—directly or indirectly—Washington seeks to prevent shipments for humanitarian reasons and even deter countries that might send aid through shipments originating from Russia or China.
Economic Strangulation
The increase in hostilities against Cuba is part of the “maximum pressure” policy that was already implemented during Trump’s first term, even going so far as to prevent the arrival of essential supplies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid a severe energy crisis, with prolonged and recurring power outages, the current attempt at energy strangulation occurs within a context where Cuba is experiencing one of the deepest economic crises in its history.
With a GDP contraction of more than 11% over the past five years, the lack of fuel and electricity not only affects households, but also the capacity to produce goods and services needed to overcome the crisis.