Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Cuba’s state-owned Union Cuba-Petroleo gas and oil company on Thursday as the Trump administration continues its pressure on the communist island nation.
The sanctions block all property and interests in property between the United States and Union Cuba-Petroleo, and all dealings must be reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
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Rubio said he is authorized to impose sweeping sanctions against Union Cuba-Petroleo pursuant to executive order 14404.
The order, titled “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy,” sanctions the Cuban government by increasing economic pressure against Cuba and various foreign companies that engage in business dealings with the Caribbean country.
Rubio said energy has long been weaponized by Cuba’s government, with its people suffering from fuel shortages and blackouts while its elites live in extravagance. The State Department alleges the company functions as a tool of repression and regime kleptocracy, rationing energy to control its people while enriching the finances of the regime’s Cuban communist leaders.
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“As regular Cubans wait for weeks to fill their cars and suffer relentless blackouts, the Castro family flies around on a private jet, the government buses in fake protesters for publicity stunts, and the regime prioritizes keeping the power on in luxury tourist hotels,” the release reads.
The Trump administration has prioritized sanctions against Cuba’s communist government. The administration hopes that by weakening the country’s communist leaders, Cuba can have the opportunity to become a democracy. Rubio announced sanctions against GAESA, a Cuban economic conglomerate, on Monday, and last week the State Department issued sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel alongside four other individuals and five entities.
