President Trump Signs Executive Order Imposing Punitive Tariffs on Nations Supplying Oil to Cuba
Washington, D.C. — Escalating his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Havana, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency and authorizing punitive tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The directive, which characterizes the Cuban government as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, aims to sever the island’s remaining energy lifelines following the recent disruption of Venezuelan oil shipments.
The executive order establishes a legal framework allowing the Department of Commerce and the Department of State to levy significant duties on imports from nations found to be “directly or indirectly” facilitating petroleum deliveries to the communist-run island. This move specifically places pressure on Mexico, which had become Cuba’s primary alternative supplier after the detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces earlier this month effectively halted shipments from Caracas. While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously defended fuel shipments to Cuba as a “sovereign decision” and a humanitarian necessity, reports indicate that Mexican state oil company Pemex has already paused deliveries in anticipation of U.S. economic retaliation.
Administration officials argue that restricting energy revenues is necessary to deny resources to a regime that aligns itself with hostile foreign powers and transnational actors. President Trump, speaking on the matter, suggested that the Cuban government is on the verge of failure due to the energy blockade. The order specifically cites Cuba’s intelligence and defense cooperation with U.S. adversaries as justification for the intensified economic siege.
The decision has drawn sharp condemnation from diplomatic and humanitarian observers who warn that the measure will disproportionately harm the Cuban population rather than the government. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced the order as a “brutal act of aggression,” stating it is designed to induce economic collapse. The island is already grappling with a severe energy crisis, characterized by daily blackouts lasting up to 20 hours and critical shortages of food and water. Critics of the policy argue that further tightening the embargo will trigger a humanitarian catastrophe and potentially spark a mass migration crisis, while risking diplomatic rifts with trade partners who view the tariffs as an overreach of U.S. extraterritorial power.
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