Afət Ziyadqızı
The imposition of new sanctions by the United States against the Cuban leadership and several organizations has further escalated tensions between the two nations.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has strongly criticized these measures, characterizing them as an intensification of "pressure and blockade."
According to the Cuban leader, the administration of US President Donald Trump has issued new threats against Havana, with the US Department of the Treasury expanding its sanctions list to include additional Cuban officials, state entities, and companies. Diaz-Canel stated that these actions serve only to strengthen the existing embargo and deepen the geopolitical friction between Cuba and the United States.
The Cuban President further described the policy as an example of "political blindness," asserting that it exacerbates coercive measures that disproportionately harm the Cuban population.
The current diplomatic friction stems from actions taken on June 4, when the US imposed sanctions on family members of former Cuban leader Raul Castro, including his son and grandson, as well as the current Cuban President and his family. Furthermore, the US Department of the Treasury added several state institutions to the sanctions list, including the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. US-Cuba relations have historically been characterized by decades of ideological conflict and economic embargoes, which remain a central point of contention in Western Hemisphere diplomacy.
